Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa must see the failed extradition of the state capture-accused Gupta brothers as yet another major blow to his government’s efforts to get to the bottom of the serious allegations against the fugitives.
The failure to have them testify and give their side of the story during the costly Zondo commission of inquiry should have compelled the government to go the extra mile in having them brought back to the country to account for the corruption allegations against them.
South Africa’s request to extradite Atul and Rajesh Gupta was recently dismissed, with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) court ruling that it had jurisdiction to prosecute the Guptas for money laundering offences allegedly committed in the UAE and South Africa.
To this, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola reacted with “shock and dismay” before accusing the UAE of “non-cooperation” and indicating that South Africa would “promptly appeal” the decision.
This sets the country about 10 steps backwards in fully understanding the root causes of the allegations of state capture.
It certainly adds another twist to the Zondo commission and its report, as the main players’ version remains unknown.
These are the people said to have been so brazen in capturing the state they were responsible for the appointments of some Cabinet ministers during the Zuma presidency.
These are the so-called architects often blamed for the near collapse of our institutions, including state-owned entities.
So if there were any people who needed to answer before our courts, it was the Gupta brothers.
Our country has sadly come to terms with the daring escape of self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri to Malawi, having been released on bail. He was charged with fraud, theft and money laundering in relation to an alleged scam in which investors were allegedly defrauded out of about R102 million.
It is an embarrassment to the global community that quite often South Africa’s efforts in going after those accused of wrongdoing are not being met with favourable outcomes.
Making the situation rather complicated is Ramaphosa’s silence and lack of direction. The captain is missing while the ship is evidently sinking.
Cape Times