By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa will resubmit a request for the extradition of Atul and Rajesh Gupta from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after its initial application was rejected earlier this year.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and his UAE counterpart Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi on Monday.
South African authorities want Rajesh and Atul Gupta extradited from the United Arab Emirates to stand trial on charges of money laundering and fraud.
A war of words broke out between the two countries after South Africa’s request was denied by the UAE.
While the UAE claimed that South African authorities failed to follow the correct procedures, local authorities insisted all its bases were covered when it made the application.
The two Gupta brothers, who were arrested in Dubai in 2022, are accused of involvement in state capture during former president Jacob Zuma’s term in office.
The Justice Department’s Crispin Phiri says the purpose of the meeting was to enhance partnership in mutual legal assistance and extradition matters.
“Following the productive discussions, an agreement was reached to quickly address the issues by setting up a joint task team of prosecutors from both countries.”
“Furthermore, the nations’ respective financial intelligence centres review all the information required. Establishing this task team will allow them to collaborate closely to ensure the fair administration of justice. This is a positive step towards strengthening the partnership and achieving shared goals”.
Phiri said the UAE has taken necessary steps to meet its international obligations and assist and support South Africa in the extradition process.
He added the joint task team would meet next Thursday to prepare fresh extradition applications and the additional mutual legal assistance from South Africa.