South African fugitive businessman Gupta Brothers arrested in UAE

 South African fugitive businessman Gupta Brothers arrested in UAE, on corruption charges

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have announced that two brothers of the richest Gupta family who fled South Africa have been arrested. South African authorities have also confirmed the arrest.

Atal and Rajesh Gupta have been accused of large-scale corruption, taking advantage of their close ties with former South African President Jacob Zuma.

Negotiations are currently underway between the two countries over the extradition of the accused.

The two brothers fled South Africa in 2018 when a judicial commission began investigating the Gupta brothers for corruption.

He is accused of paying large bribes to obtain lucrative contracts and to influence key government appointments.

The Gupta brothers deny this.

Dubai police said in a statement that the two men had been "arrested in South Africa on money laundering and criminal charges".

Police said they carried out the operation after receiving a "red notice" from Interpol. This notice is sent to law enforcement agencies to temporarily detain a wanted person until he or she is extradited to another country.

''The Gupta family migrated from India to South Africa in 1993.'' He is also facing money laundering charges in India, where tax authorities raided his properties in several cities, including his company's office in the capital, Delhi, in 2018.

Many of the serious allegations of corruption leveled against the Indian-origin brothers focus on their relationship with Jacob Zuma, who was President of South Africa from May 2009 to February 2018. He was forced to resign following a series of corruption allegations.

The Gupta family is accused of using their close ties to Jacob Zuma to gain significant political power in the South African government at all key levels, including getting business deals, influencing high-level government appointments. And misuse of state funds.

Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family deny the allegations.

After the two brothers fled the country, South Africa began negotiating an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates in 2021.

The government of President Sirleaf Ramaphosa has said it hopes the agreement will lead to the return of the Gupta brothers to face charges, but it was not immediately clear immediately after their arrest whether the two brothers returned to South Africa. 

Who are the Gupta Brothers?

Ajay, Atal and Rajesh Gupta migrated from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to South Africa in 1993. At that time, the power of the white minority was coming to an end.

It is said that when Atal arrived there to set up his family business, Sahara Computers, he was stunned by the lack of red tape or strict adherence to official code.

His business grew rapidly and at one point his company employed more than 10,000 people in South Africa alone. He also expanded his business into mining, aviation, energy, technology and media.

Atal Gupta said he met Jacob Zuma before he became president when he was a guest at an annual event in the Sahara.