Africa-Press – South-Africa. The National Assembly will debate South Africa’s failed bid to extradite the Guptas after GOOD MP Brett Herron’s request for an urgent debate was accepted.
However, this “urgent” debate will only take place in early June.
Herron submitted his request to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on 11 April, days after South African authorities first caught wind of the fact that a United Arab Emirates (UAE) Appeal Court ruled against brothers Rajesh and Atul Gupta’s extradition in February.
On Wednesday, he received positive feedback from Mapisa-Nqakula.
At the National Assembly Programming Committee’s meeting on Thursday morning, Herron was informed the debate would be scheduled at the committee’s next meeting and would most likely take place in “early June”, according to Secretary to the National Assembly Masibulele Xaso.
The subject of the debate proposed by Herron is: “The failure of the government to extradite persons implicated in corruption, as demonstrated by the recent case in the United Arab Emirates, and the consequences thereof.”
In a statement, Herron said the Gupta brothers’ extradition was of significant legal, moral, political and emotional importance for South Africa.
“The country invested nearly R1 billion into the Zondo Commission, and citizens invested massive trust and hope that the process would lead to prosecutions and justice.
“The Guptas were allegedly leading beneficiaries of state capture, and were repeatedly implicated in the report of the Zondo Commission.
Herron added:
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola told the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on Tuesday that South Africa could not appeal the Emirati court’s decision, and would now reapply to have the Guptas extradited.
According to Lamola, the Emirati authorities will look at expediting the process.
“But these are still issues which we are engaging with, with the central authority, and with the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] in terms of the issues of resubmission, if it is still necessary,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a statement released on Thursday, the NPA said it “remains deeply concerned” about the court’s decision, as “it worked through SA’s Central Authority and did everything in line with the UAE treaty requirements, and also complied with all other requests of the UAE authorities”.
“While this judgment is a setback, the ID [the NPA’s Investigating Directorate] remains focused and committed to ensuring that justice prevails for state capture and other serious corruption within its mandate, and that those most responsible are held to account and deprived of their ill-gotten gains.
“This is a fight for the future of our country, which we will not give up on, but it won’t be a quick or easy win,” said ID head Andrea Johnson, according to the statement.
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