Gupta Brothers, former South African President Jacob Zuma's friends, arrested in Dubai

The South African government on Monday said that law enforcement authorities in the UAE have arrested Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta of the Gupta family. It remains unclear why the third brother - Ajay - was not arrested.

The fugitive Gupta brothers are accused in South Africa of using their relationship with former president Jacob Zuma to profit financially and influence senior appointments - charges that they have denied.

In 2018, the Guptas went into self-exile in Dubai after looting billions of rands from parastatal institutions in South Africa, authorities alleged. 

"The ministry of justice and correctional services has received information from law enforcement authorities in the UAE that fugitives of justice, namely Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested," the South African Department of Justice and Correctional Services said in a statement on Monday.

Discussions are ongoing between various law enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa regarding extradition. The South African government will continue to co-operate with the UAE, it said.

Interpol had issued Red Notices to the Gupta brothers, who have also been declared persona non-gratia by the US and the UK.  Red Notices are issued for fugitives that are wanted for prosecution, to alert law agencies globally to arrest such persons pending extradition.

The Gupta family fled South Africa in 2018 when the net closed in on them after huge public protests led to the removal of Jacob Zuma and the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as the Acting President.

Earlier, South Africa had also appealed to the United Nations to get the Guptas back to South Africa when negotiations with the UAE failed as there was no extradition treaty between the two countries. The treaty was ratified in June 2021, when South Africa immediately began the process of requesting the extradition of the Guptas.

In 2018, the Guptas had told the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that they were not prepared to return to South Africa to testify after a number of witnesses implicated them and Zuma in corruption cases. The brothers called the South African authorities recklessly incompetent' in their affidavit to the commission.

A number of witnesses have testified the role of the Guptas in looting huge amounts and also influencing the appointment of Cabinet ministers during the nine-year tenure of Zuma as the South African president.

Will the Guptas be extradited soon?

Although the arrests are a huge step forward, one cannot expect a quick resolution to the case, as the Guptas could wait until they have exhausted all the avenues to fight their extradition.

The family, originally hailing from Saharanpur in India, entered the South African market by setting up a shoe store there in the early 1990s.  They soon expanded to include IT, media, and mining companies, most of which have now been sold off or closed. 

The Bank of Baroda (BoB) also came under the scanner when it emerged that they had assisted the Guptas to open accounts after all South African banks stopped dealings with the family. BoB later shut down its South African operations, citing a global cutback.

(With inputs from agency)