Reviled by South Africans and actively sought after for four years, the Gupta brothers have finally been caught by the courts. Arrested in Dubai, businessmen Rajesh and Atul Gupta are now sleeping in prison.
“This arrest reflects the UAE’s ongoing efforts in combating money laundering crimes, through cooperation between relevant authorities”said the Dubai police, quoted by Gulf News – although the Emirates are regularly accused of being a haven for financial offenders.
“The Gupta family is accused of having taken advantage of its links with [l’ancien président sud-africain Jacob] Zuma to wield enormous political power at all levels of the South African government – winning business contracts, influencing top executive appointments and embezzling public funds”remind the BBC.
plunder of the country
This vast state corruption scandal, unveiled in 2016, cost Jacob Zuma his job in 2018 and aroused deep disgust among the South African population. It has also permanently tarnished the image of the ANC, the historic party of Nelson Mandela, in power since the end of apartheid.
The ANC now wants to champion the fight against corruption – along with current President Cyril Ramaphosa – and called on Tuesday “the judicial authorities of the United Arab Emirates and South Africa to expedite the extradition of the Guptas”reports The South African.
The main opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA) also welcomed the arrest of the two brothers and called for “more arrests in connection with the theft of public funds”according Al-Jazeera.
“Let’s hope this is just the beginning of the arrests and prosecutions of those who have plundered our country for years – here and abroad – and are directly responsible for the hardships facing millions today. of South Africans”, the party wrote in a statement. According to estimates, some three billion euros in public funds have been misappropriated in connection with the Gupta-Zuma scandal.
Le Wall Street Journal considers that the arrest of the Guptas constitutes “a victory for Mr. Ramaphosa”who promised “to eradicate corruption in the most developed country in Africa” but whose record in this area remains very meager. And for good reason: the president himself is in turmoil, accused of having concealed a burglary in one of his properties in 2020, during which “over $4 million” in cash, according to the economic daily.
“Don’t pop the champagne”
But if all of South Africa seems to be delighted with the arrest of the Guptas, the law professor Omphemete Sibanda is more measured in the columns of the Daily Maverick : to those who hope “to see the Gupta brothers quickly return to South Africa to answer for their crimes”he advises “don’t pop the champagne”.
Although there is an extradition treaty between the UAE and South Africa, the process will be “tedious and complex”because under the Emirati legal system, the Guptas have many remedies for “challenging their extradition”he wrote.
The South African news site News24 agrees with this analysis and stresses that the prosecution “will have to present convincing arguments in favor of their extradition, to ensure that they are finally tried in South Africa”.