A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejected a request from South Africa to extradite the Gupta brothers, who are accused of corruption and fraud in their home country.
Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who are originally from India, are believed to have played a significant role in a web of corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma.
- The Gupta brothers have been living in the UAE since 2016 and have been wanted by South African authorities since 2018.
- On
Thursday, South Africa received notice from the UAE that the court had
rejected its extradition request for Atul and Rajesh Gupta.
- The UAE court said the request did not provide enough evidence to meet the necessary legal standards for extradition.
- The Gupta brothers have denied any wrongdoing and have accused the South African government of political persecution.
- South
African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola accused the UAE of
"non-cooperation" and said that the Arab country was failing to uphold a
treaty between itself and South Africa.
- The Guptas have been accused of using their political connections to secure lucrative government contracts.
- An
investigator found that the Gupta family secured at least $3.2B in
business through their connections with South African politicians and
businesses.
