Notorious Gupta brothers wanted in SA for “state capture” seek asylum in Cameroon
By Hans Ngala
CAPE TOWN – Business tycoons Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who are wanted by Interpol and South African authorities on charges of money laundering and fraud, have applied for asylum in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR), Africa Intelligence (AI) reported.
The Guptas are originally from India but emigrated to South Africa in 1994, a year before the collapse of White minority rule and set up a number of businesses including computer sales, news papers as well as having shares in various mining companies.
Why are the Guptas wanted in South Africa?
The Guptas became unusually close to South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma and a new term was coined for their friendship – ‘Zupta’. The Guptas are accused of using their wealth and proximity to Zuma, to influence business and political decisions in South Africa, a term called ‘state capture’.
Atul Gupta was listed by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as the 7th richest person in South Africa with an estimated net worth of R10.7 billion (US$773.47 million).
The Gupta brothers caused a stir in 2013 when a chartered plane transporting guests for the wedding of their sister’s daughter landed at an airbase near Pretoria. Only visiting heads of state and diplomatic delegations are normally allowed to use the base. The incident prompted a significant outcry, so much so that it was dubbed “Guptagate” by the South African media.
In 2016, several claims about the Guptas’ influence over cabinet nominations in South Africa surfaced. Former African National Congress (ANC) MP Vytjie Mentor said that the Guptas offered her the position of Minister of Public Enterprises in 2010 if she could arrange for South African Airways to drop their India route and enable Gupta-linked airlines to take it instead. They were summoned in 2017 over the Vrede farm project, in which a trail of hacked emails linked the Guptas to government funds routed into Atul Gupta’s account.
The Gupta Brothers have been summoned by South African prosecutors after they were reportedly at the centre of a web of corruption during Zuma’s administration. Interpol has issued a red alert against two of the brothers, Rajesh and Atul, as well as their wives, according to the main investigator, Hermione Cronje.
Why do the Guptas want asylum in Cameroon and what does this mean for Cameroon?
On the 7th of June 2022, the South African government said that law enforcement authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had arrested Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta and their assets in South Africa blocked by South African courts.
They had been declared fugitives from the law by South African authorities for failing to turn themselves over to authorities.
They could face long-term prison sentences in South Africa, which explains why they are fleeing from authorities in South Africa and seeking asylum in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR). According to media reports, the governments of Cameroon and the CAR are considering the asylum applications of the Guptas.
It is unclear why they chose both countries for their asylum, but it doesn’t look good on Cameroon’s record and it is not clear whether South Africa’s International Relations Minister’s visit to Cameroon which began yesterday, has anything to do with Cameroon being chosen by the Guptas as a safe heaven.
