JOHANNESBURG – A business couple of Indian origin simply known as Gupta brotherswho have become infamous in South Africa amid allegations that they facilitated public corruption and gutted state resources, has been arrested in Dubai, the South African government has announced.
The arrests of Atul and Rajesh Gupta, announced on Monday and confirmed by Dubai a day later, come about four years after the brothers fled South Africa under intense surveillance by law enforcement. law and public outrage. It marks a pivotal moment in the years-long battle by government reformers and civil society to deal with those deemed responsible for the “expropriation of the state” – the Pervasive corruption of officials and businesses has contributed to South Africa’s economic unrest.
“It is very important” symbolically, said Thulisile Madonsela, a former state official lay multiple platforms revealed Guptas’ ties to government officials. “People were worried that there seemed to be accountability only for the small fish involved in state catch, not for the big fish.”
Ms. Madonsela began investigating questionable public expenditures by the former president, Jacob Zuma, about a decade ago, when she was South Africa’s public defender, an independent official charged with responsibility. support democracy. That investigation revealed widespread government corruption and Mr. Zuma’s close ties to the Gupta brothers, who have been charged. appointed government ministers who will help their company secure lucrative contracts.
According to an investigator who testified before the state corruption investigation commission, Guptas was able to keep secret government enterprise worth at least $3.2 billion through an extensive network of corporations. They have been accused of obtaining fraudulent contracts, laundering money and using their government connections to help other businesses access contracts in return for kickbacks.
Mrs. Madonsela said.
Michael Hellens, an attorney for Guptas, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The brothers still insist that they did nothing wrong and victims of infighting in the ruling party, the African National Congress. Guptas have not been found to be criminally responsible in cases involving them that have so far been brought before South African courts.
There is still a long way to go between the arrest of the Gupta brothers in Dubai and the fact that they actually face justice in South Africa.
Government of South Africa and Dubai reach an extradition treaty last year. While that sets the framework for Guptas’ return to South Africa, it remains unclear how quickly that will happen and whether the brothers will be able to fight it off successfully in court.
“Discussions between various law enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa about the way forward are ongoing,” Chrispin Phiri, a spokesman for the South African Department of Justice, said in a statement.
In February, Interpol issued a “red notice” to both Gupta brothers, a request that they be detained pending extradition. Dubai Police said a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday that it had arrested two brothers after receiving a notice, related to allegations that a company led by an associate of Guptas had purchased a fraudulent contract worth 1.6 million dollars. from the Free State province in South Africa for a rural agricultural project there.
Mark Heywood, a social justice activist in South Africa, helped several years ago to obtain a series of Guptas-related emails that were widely circulated in South African media and led to numerous questions. exposing allegations of corruption against the family.
Mr. Heywood, who is currently editing Maverick CitizenThe social justice division of a South African news organization, said Guptas’ arrest, along with recent arrests of people linked to corruption, had quelled some public concerns. them that no one would be held responsible for taking over the state.
“It shows the pendulum has wobbled a little bit,” he said. “We have to make sure it changes the whole thing.”
