Justice Minister Ronald Lamola says he will appeal the decision by the United Arab Emirates not to extradite the Gupta fugitive brothers to South Africa. Lamola addressed the media today joined by Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shamila Batohi and justice department director-general Advocate Doctor Mashabane. Lamola expressed concern after receiving news that the brothers Rajesh and Atul, were spotted in Switzerland yet UAE authorities said they've been kept in police custody since July 2022. 

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Lamola said that they started to probe the matter when UAE failed to give South Africa any updates about the court appearances of the Guptas. On the 6th of April Lamola engaged the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates directly, and he advised that a note verbale (a diplomatic communication from one government to another, delivered through each other's diplomatic representatives) from the United Arab Emirates was received on the 5th after an enquiry from this side when some newspaper articles in relation to the matter sought answers.  

SHOCKED BY THE UAE DECISION

 "We learnt with shock and dismay that the extradition had been concluded in the Dubai courts, on the 13th of February 2023, and our extradition request was unsuccessful. The court found that on the charge of money laundering, the crime in question is alleged to have been committed in the United Arab Emirates and in South Africa. In terms of the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates, an extradition can be denied because the United Arab Emirates has the jurisdiction to prosecute the crime." Lamola said on the charge of fraud, the court found that the warrant of arrest relating to the charge was cancelled. "The reasons for denying our request are of a technical nature," Lamola said, adding that there was no reason to dismiss the extradition request. We still intend to engage with our counterparts in the UAE as requested in March to ensure the decision of the court is properly appealed as well as devise other mechanisms to deal with the matter," he said.