South Africa (SA) appealed to the United Nations (UN) for help in bringing back the Gupta brothers.
Johannesburg:
South Africa The government said on Monday that United Arab Emirates (UAE) law enforcement officers of Indian origin in Gupta Brothers (Rajesh and Atul) who is arrested former President Jacob Zuma He was at the center of political corruption during the reign of Both the brothers were arrested in Dubai. However, at the moment it is not clear why the third brother Ajay was not arrested. this arrest Interpol This comes almost a year after the government issued notices against the Gupta brothers in July last year.
The Gupta brothers are accused of using their links with former South African President Jacob Zuma to gain economic benefits and influence appointments to top positions. However, the Gupta brothers have denied these allegations.
Officials said the Gupta family is in self-exile after scamming billions of rand (South African currency) into government-affiliated institutions in South Africa in 2018. Dubai was gone.
South Africa’s Department of Justice and Correctional Services issued a statement saying, “The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirms that it has received information from UAE law enforcement authorities that fugitives Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested on Monday.” .”
“Discussions on further course of action are ongoing between the UAE and various law enforcement agencies in South Africa,” the department said. The Government of South Africa will continue to cooperate with the UAE.
Interpol had issued red notice
Interpol had issued a red notice against the Gupta brothers, already declared wanted by the US and the UK. Red notices are issued globally to alert law enforcement agencies to the arrest of persons who are long wanted.
The Gupta family left South Africa in 2018. In the same year, due to widespread protests, the African National Congress (ANC) removed Zuma from the presidency and appointed Cyril Ramaphosa as acting president.
Earlier, South Africa had appealed to the United Nations (UN) to help bring the accused back to South Africa after talks with the UAE regarding the arrest of the Gupta brothers did not yield results due to no extradition treaty between the two countries. . Soon after the treaty was ratified in June 2021, South Africa began the process of requesting the extradition of the Gupta brothers.
Several witnesses testified to the Gupta brothers’ role in the major scandals and appointments of cabinet ministers during Zuma’s nine-year tenure as South Africa’s president.
Illegal earnings of 15 billion rand
Wayne Duvenhej, chief executive officer (CEO) of the organization to eliminate tax evasion, said his investigation revealed that the Gupta brothers had illegally earned about 15 billion rand before fleeing the country.
Originally from Saharanpur, India, the Gupta family moved to South Africa in the early 1990s to open a shoe shop. They soon expanded their business to include IT, media and mining companies, most of which are now either sold or closed.
The name of Bank of Baroda (BOB) also came up in this scam. It was reported that the bank had helped the Gupta brothers by opening accounts for them at a time when all South African banks stopped dealing with the family. BoB later closed its South African branches, citing global cuts to operations.
