Cape Town [South Africa], June 7 (ANI): The South African government has said the law enforcement authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrested Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta of the Gupta family, allegedly linked to former President Jacob Zuma in connection with financial wrongdoing.
Their arrests come months after International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) issued a red notice last July. “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 of justice, namely, Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested,” the South African Justice Ministry said in a statement.
“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 co-operate with the UAE,” the statement added.
Media Statement : Ministry of Justice confirms Gupta arrest pic.twitter.com/jkNc3fkirN
— Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services 🇿🇦 (@Min_JCS) June 6, 2022
In 2018, the South African government started to investigate the corruption charges leveled against former president Zuma.
The former South African president is accused of overseeing widespread graft during his nine-year reign. The Guptas are accused of using their influence to profit financially and influence senior appointments. However, they have denied wrongdoing.
Last year, Interpol said they were being sought in connection with a 25 million rand contract paid to a Gupta-linked company to conduct an agricultural feasibility study, Al Jazeera reported.
The Gupta brothers — Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh — had migrated from Uttar Pradesh to South Africa in the 1990s and owned a business empire spanning computer equipment, media, and mining in South Africa.
The scandal had forced Zuma to quit in 2018 after he faced massive furor among his own ruling African National Congress (ANC) lawmakers over corruption charges. The former South African president also faced allegations of corruption relating to a 1990s arms deal. Following Zuma’s resignation, the Gupta brothers had fled South Africa.
The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reports the Gupta brothers’ arrest:
