Cape Town - Dubai police say the arrest of ‘most wanted’ suspects, the Gupta brothers Atul and Rajesh, reflects the United Arab Emirates (UAE) commitment to combat money laundering through cooperation among the competent authorities.
The brothers who are wanted in South Africa for ‘state capture’ crimes during the tenure of former president Jacob Zuma, were arrested this week.
Their arrest came after Interpol issued red notices against Atul Gupta and his wife, Chetali; Rajesh Gupta and his wife, Arti; former Nulane Investment Bank of Baroda account signatory Ankit Jain; director of Wone Management Ravindra Nath; and the directors of Pragat Investments, Ramesh Bhat and Jagdish Parekh, according to a statement issued by Dubai police.
“Dubai Police made the arrest after receiving a red notice for the Gupta brothers by Interpol. The force has also coordinated with the authorities in South Africa regarding the extradition file to complete the legal procedures.
“The arrest reflects the continuous efforts of the UAE in combating money laundering crimes through local cooperation among the competent authorities, including the Ministry of Justice, the Dubai Public Prosecution, the Executive Office to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and the Financial Intelligence Unit,” the statement read.
Enquiries to the UEA embassy and justice department had not been answered by deadline.
Meanwhile, local political parties have welcomed the arrests, saying this was an opportunity “to redeem our criminal justice system”.
In a statement, the ANC said: “We call on law enforcement authorities in South Africa and the UAE to expedite the extradition of Messrs Gupta to South Africa so that the charges against them can be adjudicated by a court of law to determine their guilt or innocence.”
Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron said, the arrests “are an important opportunity” for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to restore the faith of South Africans in its criminal justice system.
“The announcement implies that the arrests were pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice….
“The fact that it was the Justice Department making the announcement implies the arrests are connected to our widely-known interests. If this is so, the arrests will allow the South African authorities to commence an application for the notorious brothers' extradition to stand trial. This would constitute a major breakthrough in the fight against state capture and corruption,” said Herron.
During a press conference on Tuesday, EFF leader, Julius Malema, said: “Give me a picture of Gupta’s in prison first…I’m told the NPA doesn’t know this and therefore I am not going to entertain a diversion or a spin of the State (relating to criminal charges against Ramaphosa),” said Malema.
DA national spokesperson, Siviwe Gwarube, said: “We hope that this is indeed the beginning of arrests and prosecution of those who have - locally and abroad - looted our country for years and are directly responsible for the hardships that millions of South Africans face today…As Ramaphosa faces serious questions about the dubious theft of millions of rands of cash from his farm in Limpopo, it is important that our law enforcement agencies are impartial and thorough.”
Action SA leader, Herman Mashaba, said they were “cautiously optimistic” about the arrests, committing to watch proceedings closely.
Cape Times