The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it is determined to ensure that the Guptas are brought to book despite the failure of the United Arab Emirates to co-operate with South African law enforcement agencies. The Guptas, who are implicated in state capture, owned many companies that enjoyed lucrative contracts with South African government departments and state-owned conglomerates.
The family is believed to have strong links with former president Jacob Zuma and allegedly influenced his cabinet appointments.
The history of the Gupta family:
The allegations eventually brought the Zuma presidency to a premature end in 2019 and prompted the Guptas to leave South Africa. The Guptas are believed to be living in Dubai.
NPA spokesperson, Sipho Ngwema, says efforts to get the Guptas extradited to South Africa are continuing.
“Indeed, there’s work that is being done around the Guptas, but there’s still more work to be done because you remember, there is a commission that is taking place and subsequent to that, there would be criminal charges that would have to be laid and prosecution would have to make the relevant applications to the various countries. So, work is still being done and once that work has been done, pronouncements will be made in terms of where those processes are.”
NPA’s Sipho Ngwema on extradition challenges:
