Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, said it was with “shock and dismay” that his department learnt that South Africa’s extradition request for the Gupta Brothers was unsuccessful.

Lamola held a media briefing on Friday morning to provide an update on the attempted extradition of Atul and Rajesh Gupta.

“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 South Africa, in terms of the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates extradition can be denied because the United Arab Emirates has the jurisdiction to prosecute the crime,” read a media statement that was issued by the ministry.

Media Statement | Update on the Gupta Extradition pic.twitter.com/BoYJYpoYKd

— Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services 🇿🇦 (@Min_JCS) April 7, 2023

“On the charge of fraud and corruption, the court found that the arrest warrant relating to this charge was cancelled.”

According to Lamola, the reasons provided for denying the extradition request are “inexplicable and fly in the face of the assurances given by Emirati authorities that our requests meet their requirements.”

He said the level of non-cooperation is highly unprecedented.

“The United Emirates conduct does not accord with the ethos of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Amid what the rule of law should achieve we believe that every state should err on the side of accountability and transparency instead of opaqueness and obfuscation.”

He said the ministry would still engage with the UAE to ensure that the court’s decision is appealed.