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Guptas apply for renewal of SA passports

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Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says some Gupta family members have applied for renewal of their South African passports, despite being wanted for corruption in the country.

The family fled to Dubai in 2016 amid allegations of corruption and attempts to capture the state.

The Gupta brothers are accused of having used their relationship with former President Jacob Zuma to secure major contracts at State-Owned Entities.

Although they deny being involved in dodgy deals, law enforcement agencies are pushing to have them extradited from the United Arab Emirates to answer to the claims.

Motsoaledi has told SABC News that his department has blocked the family’s attempt for an extension of their South African passports.

He revealed this while responding to a viewer’s question on the family.

“Some of them have applied for their passports. I think the pages are full or they expired, as for renewal of their passport? Yes they’ve applied even though the South African government [is] trying to extradite them.”

“Obviously, there’s no way I’m going to be stupid enough [to extend their passports] … with the Department of Justice looking for them, they can’t travel to any part of the world because they are using a South African passport,” explains the Minister.

The Guptas came to South Africa in 1993 and got mired in controversy in 2013 when a family plane carrying wedding guests landed at the Waterkloof Air Force Base near Pretoria. The military base in only reserved for visiting heads of state and diplomats.

 

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