Guptas may have to answer to the United Kingdom for money laundering
Pretoria - The controversial Gupta family may not only be in the hot seat in South Africa, but also abroad as the DA plans to send an indictment to the United Kingdom (UK) accusing the family of money laundering.
The money laundering allegedly took place when R30m, that was supposed to go to the Vrede dairy project, was diverted through a web of Gupta-related companies to allegedly pay for the wedding of Vega Gupta and Aakash Jahajgarhia in 2013, which was revealed in the leaked #GuptaLeaks by Scorpio and amaBhungane.
amaBhungane reported that Gupta owned companies in the UAE who have bank accounts with Standard Charted Bank spun and washed the money around these bank accounts until it was sent to another Gupta company in Johannesburg which they allege paid for the wedding.
Standard Chartered Bank is a British multinational banking and as such, the UK has jurisdiction to investigate the matter as money laundering is a cross border international offense, said DA's Shadow Ministers for Justice and Correctional Services Glynnis Breytenbach.
During the handing over of an indictment, at the Hawks head office in Pretoria on Thursday, which is said to contain evidence that the Gupta brothers as well as the Minister of Mineral Resource, Mosebenzi Zwane contravened the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, Breytenbach said a copy would be sent to the UK
"All the documents contained in this file are from the leaked emails, they prove all the money transfers," said Breytenbach.
"They prove all the bookings for the wedding [and] the invoices for the wedding for the Gupta niece who doesn’t even come from South Africa for R30m.”
“Also importantly it contains information that makes this an offence internationally, so the United Kingdom has jurisdiction. Mr Maimane is going to send this to the United Kingdom and say you also have an interest here.”
Maimane said the indictment was handed to the Hawks so they could investigate as charges were previously laid against Zwane and the Gupta brothers by the DA.
“When you open a charge they don’t investigate,” said Maimane outside of the Hawks head office.
“Now you don’t have a choice now you must investigate.”
“It (the indictment) contains all the emails, all the evidence here that says money was stolen from our people, jobs were stolen from our people.
“The tsotsis must go to jail.”
