UAE court dismisses South Africa's request to extradite Gupta brothers

South Africa's attempt to extradite two brothers from the Gupta family, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, from the United Arab Emirates has failed. The Guptas are accused in South Africa of profiting from their close links with former President Jacob Zuma and exerting unfair influence. 

The Indian-born Guptas fled after a judicial commission began probing a major corruption scandal. The brothers, who deny any wrongdoing, were arrested in the UAE last June, and extradition talks with South Africa began. However, a court in the UAE rejected the extradition application on a technicality. 

The decision was made in February, but it was only communicated to South Africa on Thursday. South Africa's Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said he had learnt with "shock and dismay" about the move, and his government would appeal against the decision.

The UAE court had ruled that as there were money-laundering offences allegedly committed in the UAE as well as South Africa, the UAE had jurisdiction to prosecute the Guptas. The



news is a blow for South Africa's fight to bring the Guptas to justice. An official inquiry, known as the Zondo commission, took four years to probe allegations of high-level corruption under the Zuma presidency, exposing how billions of dollars were looted from state coffers.

It found that the brothers, who once enjoyed unfettered access to power that became known as "state capture," tried to influence political and economic decisions. Many of the most serious allegations focus on their relationship with Mr Zuma, who was president of South Africa from 2009 until he was forced to step down amid a storm of corruption allegations nine years later. 

The Gupta family is accused of using their close links with Mr Zuma to win business contracts, influence high-profile government appointments, and misappropriate state funds. Mr Zuma, along with the Guptas, denies the allegations. South Africa negotiated an extradition treaty with the UAE in 2021, three years after the brothers fled the country.