Where In The World Is Ajay Gupta?

If Ajay Gupta has fled to Dubai, it will be difficult to extradite him.
Theuns Kruger/Graphics24

Well, it looks Like Ajay Gupta has left the country, 10 days ago to be precise. According to EWN, officials at OR Tambo International Airport have video footage showing Ajay leaving the country on 6 Feb 2018.

Ajay Gupta is on the run, and the whereabouts of his brothers is also unclear. If he has escaped to Dubai, it seems unlikely that South Africa will be able to extradite him unless the United Arab Emirates cooperates, according to reports.

The Hawks confirmed on Thursday that Ajay Gupta, the eldest Gupta brother, is a fugitive on the run. He had initially agreed to hand himself over but had failed to do so, and now the Hawks want to take him into custody.

According to thesouthafrican.com, because Ajay Gupta gained South African citizenship, he is subject to South African extradition laws.

South Africa reportedly has extradition agreements with 14 countries including China and India, but not Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the Guptas are said to have lived and worked for some time. If Gupta does to Dubai, South Africa will reportedly not be able to extradite him.

Reportedly, there is an extradition treaty with the UAE but it has not been signed into law, so the country could only provide what is called "mutual legal assistance".

The monarchy in the UAE could also block the extradition of suspects if they wanted to, according to thesouthafrican.com.

Business Day reported that a warrant of arrest has been issued for him, and that he has surrounded himself with bodyguards. Border posts have been flagged and the Hawks warned that anyone who is protecting him will be charged with aiding and abetting a suspect.

Seven suspects and Gupta associates appeared in court on corruption and money-laundering charges related to the Estina dairy farm project. They were granted bail and the case has been postponed to August. The police are still looking for two Indian suspects and one Chinese suspect, according to News24.

The Star reported on Thursday that the Hawks are also looking for Duduzane Zuma, and that Atul Gupta tried to flee the country on Wednesday, but the pilot of the private plane he was using refused to take off.

A picture of the pilot did the rounds on Twitter on Thursday, but it later emerged that the information might not have been correct.

Times Select reported that the Guptas were hoping to strike a deal with the Hawks on Wednesday morning, but it is unclear whether the Guptas spoke to the Hawks at all.

There were initial reports that the third Gupta brother, Rajesh, was arrested on Wednesday morning, but he was not among the accused who appeared in court. One of the Gupta's nephews, however, did appear.

Ajay was last spotted at the Optimum coal mine in Mpumalanga on February 7. As reported by HuffPost this week, a Rapport photographer captured Gupta and Oakbay CEO Ronica Ragavan visiting the mine. They reportedly arrived by chopper flanked by various security guards.

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