The efforts to bring the Guptas to South Africa have intensified, with Interpol issuing red notices against the infamous brothers and their wives.
On Monday, Investigative Directorate head advocate Hermione Cronje said Interpol issued red notices against Atul Gupta and his wife, Chetali; Rajesh Gupta and his wife, Arti; former Nulane Investment Bank of Baroda account signatory Ankit Jain; director of Wone Management Ravindra Nath; and the directors of Pragat Investments, Ramesh Bhat and Jagdish Parekh.
She said the docket had been disclosed to the six accused in order to aid them in preparation for trial.
The Bloemfontein Regional Court postponed the criminal case relating to the R25 million Nulane Investment case. The matter will be transferred to the Bloemfontein High Court for trial on September 6.
#Interpol on the hunt for Guptas. Police all over the world have been requested to locate and arrest them with a view to send them back to SA.
— Bantu Holomisa (@BantuHolomisa) July 5, 2021
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the matter was postponed in the absence of the accused, as agreed between the NPA’s Investigating Directorate and the defence, in the wake of the Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown regulations.
Warrants against the accused out on bail would be issued yet stayed until the next appearance.
Former Transnet board member Iqbal Sharma would continue to be incarcerated as he was not granted bail last month.
Sharma, Nulane Investment employee Dinesh Patel, former Free State head of the Department for Rural Development Peter Thabethe, former head of FSDoA Limakatso Moorosi and former FSDoA chief financial officer Seipati Dhlamini face charges of fraud and money laundering. The former government officials are also charged with contravening the Public Finance Management Act.
Sharma is among 16 accused who face charges relating to defrauding the Free State Department of Agriculture.
The fraud is in connection with a R25m feasibility study in 2011 that was irregularly granted to Nulane Investment, a company owned and controlled by Sharma. The company had to provide a report to the department within seven months. Nulane, however, subcontracted the work to Deloitte Consulting for R1.5m.
Then it subcontracted the work completed by Deloitte to Gateway Limited and paid it more than R19m. From there, the funds were diverted to Islandsite Investments, a company owned and controlled by the Gupta family.
The accused face charges of fraud and money laundering.
Former government officials are also charged with contravening the Public Finance Management Act.
They are charged together with Nulane Investment 204, Wone Management, Pragat Investment and Islandsite Investments.
The balance of the accused listed in the charge sheet are not in South Africa.
Political Bureau