OUTA welcomes Gupta arrests – now for successful extradition

OUTA welcomes the news that Atul and Rajesh Gupta, the two brothers charged in the Nulane corruption case in the Free State, have been arrested in Dubai. 

The charges were brought against the brothers after Nulane Investments Director, Iqbal Sharma allegedly received a R25m tender to complete a feasibility survey on the Estina Dairy project in the Free State. The survey was outsourced to Deloitte for R1,5m and R21m was then paid over to Islandsite Investments - a company in which Atul and Rajesh Gupta and their wives were directors.

While the arrests have been confirmed by the Office of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), we hope that South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will cooperate to expedite the Guptas’ extradition so that they can stand trial. 

“We've always said that fighting corruption in SA requires resilience. That if the rule of law is allowed to take its course, those implicated will eventually get their day in court. It seems like that day is around the corner for the Gupta kingpins,” said Stefanie Fick, OUTA’s Executive Head of Accountability. “This is a major step forward in the prosecution of state capture culprits.”

Rudie Heyneke, OUTA’s lead investigator on state capture matters, also welcomed the arrest. “It put an end to rumours about the Gupta family’s whereabouts, and with their arrest out of the way, we’re hoping that more arrests and swift prosecutions will follow.” 

OUTA has investigated the Gupta Leaks, and shared information on our findings with law enforcement authorities. We also made several section 27 referrals to the NPA to assist in their investigations into the state capture. For more information on our state capture project, read here.

A soundclip with comment from Advocate Stefanie Fick is here