Speaking on the sidelines of the Cote D’ Ivoire State Visit taking place in Pretoria on Friday, Lamola says his department has submitted a provisional warrant of arrest to the authorities in the United Arab Emirates where the brothers are currently in jail.

He says the extradition request will be submitted on time. “From the date of arrest the extradition treaty says that the extradition request must be submitted within sixty days after the provisional warrant of arrest was submitted and the process has been ongoing  and there has been exchange and discussions between the two central authorities and also the prosecuting authorities of the UAE to ensure that the papers are compliant. So I can assure South Africans that we will be able to meet the deadline.”

The news of the Gupta brothers’ arrest, through the intervention of Interpol, broke early in June 2022 but it is expected that the extradition process could take time.

SABC