- At the end of April, the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture ceases public hearings will come to a close.
- Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta so far have not shown any indication of returning to South Africa for an appearance at the commission.
.
At the end of April, the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture ceases public hearings will come to a close. But the prospects of getting Guptas extradited from UAE to South Africa to appear before Deputy Chief Justice Judge Raymond Zondo seem very bleak. Guptas walked away from proceedings in 2018. Their alleged partner former president Jacob Zuma continues to ignore to the summons in violation of a Constitutional Court order. Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta so far have not shown any indication of returning to South Africa for an appearance at the commission.
Gupta brothers fled from South Africa amid a storm over the impact of their political influence in South Africa and their alleged involvement in billions of rands of corrupt deals with state-owned companies like Transnet and Eskom. They also have been implicated in the firing of former Minister of Finance Nhlanhla Nene and the appointment of his replacement, Des van Rooyen.
Guptas briefly participated in the hearing through their lawyers during the early days. They applied for permission to testify via video link from abroad which was dismissed by Zondo though the commission had allowed several witnesses, including McKinsey & Co, to testify via Zoom in view of the COVID restrictions. Subsequently, the Guptas stopped their participation despite the piling up of the 3.3 notices – an official document notifying persons that they have been implicated by a witness.
The commission has been working at a hectic pace and the public hearings are expected to close by 30 April 2021. The extradition of the Gupta brothers from the UAE looks unlikely in the absence of any criminal charge against them in SA. United States Treasury slapped them with financial sanctions in 2019.Since then the Guptas have been operating incognito between the UAE, India and sometimes Uzbekistan.
