The Gupta brothers reported to have been arrested in India are not the ones for whom the South African government has obtained warrants of arrest.
This clarification was provided on Saturday by Justice Minister Ronald Lamola during a brief media briefing at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg during the ANC’s Siyanqoba rally.
“There are media reports indicating the arrest of Gupta family members in India. We want to clarify that for the world. According to the information at our disposal, verified by our high commissioner in India, the Gupta family members who have been arrested are not the ones named in the warrant of arrest issued by South Africa and the red notice issued by Interpol. It is not Ajay and Atul Gupta who have been arrested.
“We also want to confirm that the red notice from Interpol is still valid globally. Wherever the [Gupta brothers] are in the world, every state has a duty to arrest them,” said Lamola.
TimesLIVE, quoting reports from India, reported earlier on Saturday that two Gupta brothers — named as Ajay and Anil — had been arrested on Friday on charges of abetting the suicide of prominent Dehradun-based builder Satinder Singh Sahni, 52.
According to the Indian news reports, this followed the prominent builder naming them in a suicide note.
Sahni allegedly jumped off the terrace of a seven-story apartment complex on Friday morning.
Lamola reiterated that the South African government’s warrant of arrest is still active and the Guptas remain wanted fugitives.
“The Guptas who were arrested in India were arrested in connection with activities they conducted there. For us in South Africa, what is important is that the two Gupta brothers who are fugitives from the law in South Africa, Ajay and Atul Gupta, are not the ones who were arrested,” he said.
The Gupta family wielded significant political influence during the years that Jacob Zuma was president of South Africa, infamously landing a commercial jet full of wedding guests at Waterkloof Air Force Base.
The brothers were allegedly the architects and beneficiaries of widespread looting of government coffers and state-owned entities during Zuma’s tenure.
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Lamola also expressed his satisfaction with Friday’s decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel.
Additional Source: TimesLive
