Who are the Gupta brothers?
Indian-origin businessmen Atul and Rajesh Gupta have been arrested in the UAE for their alleged involvement in government corruption in South Africa. Who are they, and what are the allegations against them? Will the Gupta brothers face the law in South Africa?
Authorities in the UAE recently arrested Indian-origin businessmen Atul Gupta and Rajesh Gupta for their alleged involvement in government corruption in South Africa.
The arrest comes on the back of a four-year probe by South Africa’s Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that looked into the Gupta brothers’ ties to former President Jacob Zuma. It has been alleged that the three brothers – Ajay, Atul and Rajesh – used their powerful connections to influence high-profile appointments, win contrasts and misappropriate state funds.
The family fled South Africa in 2018 when public protests over corruption under Zuma — ‘Zuma Must Fall’ campaign – led to his removal. As multiple witnesses implicated them and Zuma in corruption cases, the Guptas had told the commission they were not prepared to return to South Africa to testify.
Originally from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta migrated to South Africa in 1993.
Atul Gupta first set up a shoe business and later started Sahara Computers. He then went on to expand into industries like mining, air travel, energy, and media. His first meeting with Zuma happened before he became South Africa’s president, at one of the Gupta firm’s functions.
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