Cape Town - South African law enforcement and their United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterparts are in discussions on the way forward following the arrest of the Gupta brothers Rajesh and Atul Gupta, the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirmed last night.
“The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirms that it has received information from law enforcement authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that fugitives from justice, Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested. Discussions between various law enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa on the way forward are ongoing,” Justice Minister Ronald Lamola’s spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said.
The arrests come as State Capture Commission of Inquiry chairperson Raymond Zondo is expected to submit the last instalment of his report, with the previous parts painting a picture of how the Gupta brothers scored lucrative contracts from the government by using their relationship with ex-President Jacob Zuma and some of his cabinet ministers.
State-owned enterprises (SOEs), under Zuma's administration unlawfully spent R240 million from the state to benefit Gupta businesses, according to the first part of Zondo's report .
The government central communications agency, GCIS, used R34 million with The New Age (TNA), a daily newspaper that was owned by the Gupta family, while Eskom contributed close to R60 million, and Transnet gave over R147 million, according to the report.
Cape Times