Jubilation was felt across social media when, on Monday evening, the Department of Justice confirmed in a statement that the notorious, most wanted, Gupta brothers, Rajesh and Atul, have been arrested by Dubai law enforcement authorities.
Rajesh and Atul Gupta arrested: What charges do they face?
Two of the central figures behind the ‘state capture‘ project that pillaged billions of rand out of South Africa’s public purse have been on the run since 2018, when the commission of inquiry, headed by CJ Raymond Zondo.
Based on evidence collected from oral and written submissions made at the Zondo Commission, a complex network of money laundering, involving high-ranking figures of government, as high as the head of state, was exposed, with the Gupta brothers, Atul, Rajesh and Tony at the helm of it all.
On Monday evening, the Department of Justice confirmed in a brief statement that Atul and Rajesh were arrested in Dubai recently, albeit not indicating further on the status of Tony, who is explicitly identified as a prime suspect in the state capture case.
“Discussions between various law enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa on the way forward are ongoing. The South African government will continue to cooperate with the UAE,” the department noted in a statement.
Earlier this year, the Gupta brothers were placed on Interpol’s ‘red notice’ list for intercontinental white-collar crimes committed in South Africa and their home country, India.
Will they be extradited to South Africa?
According to reports from the Daily Maverick, the South African government has deployed criminal lawyers to Dubai, to initiate the next phase of the extradition process which, as in the case of the self-proclaimed prophet Bushiri, can take a very long time.
The Gupta brothers will have to undergo Dubai’s criminal justice system and if South Africa has any opportunity to extradite them, it will have to be based on irrefutable motivations brought before the UAE courts.
Here are some of the reactions to the arrest:
The arrest of the Guptas is very good news. They must be brought to book.
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) June 6, 2022
The Guptas are arrested after putting our country through 13+ years of hell, and all people can say is: Don't distract us from Cyril. Two different issues guys – can we take a moment to appreciate how momentous this is?? They cost us R250bn by some estimates and so much more.
— Verashni Pillay (@verashni) June 6, 2022
This is huge. The Guptas played a big part in destroying South African state institutions. https://t.co/F8CGRmuidF
— Nick Hedley (@nickhedley) June 6, 2022
