Requesting: South AfricaRequested: United Arab Emirates

Atul Gupta and Rajesh Gupta: extradition case and outcome

Atul and Rajesh Gupta were arrested in the UAE in June 2022 after Interpol listed them. About two months before 7 June 2023 the UAE denied South Africa's extradition request and cancelled the arrests, saying it did not meet its documentation standards. South Africa said in June 2023 that it would renew its bid, and no extradition had been reported by June 2026.

Refused The UAE denied South Africa's extradition request in about April 2023. Bloomberg reported this as a refusal on documentation grounds, and South Africa said it would try again.^1,2

Charges as alleged. South African authorities wanted the brothers on money laundering and fraud charges, according to Bloomberg. EWN described the Nulane case, which concerns allegations that R24.9 million was paid to Nulane Investments for a feasibility study linked to the Estina Vrede Dairy project, as one of the two cases behind the extradition bid.^1,2

Charges are allegations unless a court has convicted. Each record states what each court or minister decided and the person's public response.

Decisions

June 2022UAE authoritiesArrested after Interpol placed the brothers on its most wanted list.¹
April 2023UAE authoritiesDenied South Africa's extradition request and cancelled the arrests, saying the request failed to meet the UAE's strict standards for legal documentation, as reported by Bloomberg.¹
7 June 2023South Africa's Justice MinistryAnnounced it would renew its extradition bid, after Justice Minister Ronald Lamola met his UAE counterpart on 5 June 2023.¹
4 June 2026National Prosecuting Authority of South AfricaRe-enrolled the Nulane case after the Supreme Court of Appeal set aside 2023 acquittals of other accused. EWN described Nulane as one of two cases in which the extradition bid was unsuccessful.²

What happened next

Not extradited. Neither brother had been tried in South Africa according to the sources read. EWN in June 2026 referred to the extradition bid as unsuccessful and did not report a new request.²

Response

Bloomberg reported that the Guptas deny wrongdoing.¹

Legal points

The refusal turned on the quality of the legal documentation supporting the request, according to Bloomberg, rather than on a ruling on the merits of the allegations.¹

Sources

Bloomberg (via BNN Bloomberg), South Africa revives Gupta extradition bid after UAE talks (7 June 2023)
EWN, NPA re-enrolls Gupta-linked Nulane corruption case following appeal court victory (4 June 2026)