Lamola rubbishes incompetency claims regarding Gupta extradition
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola has defended his department’s bid to have the Gupta brothers expedited from the United Arab Emirates and accused opposition parties of cheap politicking. Lamola was responding during a debate in the National Assembly, as opposition parties accused the department of bungling the extradition process. ALSO READ: South Africa and […]
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola has defended his department’s bid to have the Gupta brothers expedited from the United Arab Emirates and accused opposition parties of cheap politicking.
Lamola was responding during a debate in the National Assembly, as opposition parties accused the department of bungling the extradition process.
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LAMOLA ACCUSES THE OPPOSITION OF WANTING TO BLIND SOUTH AFRICANS
“Most members know the nature and complexities of extradition. Extradition struggles between law and politics. Extradition requires the cooperation between the requesting state and the requested state. All these are issues that the House agrees upon, and any other thing the opposition has said is cheap political scoring.” says Lamola.
“They want to blind South Africans not to see the reality of what the South African Government has done all its effort to regards to complying.”
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“No foolish administrative or legal mistake was from the South African Government. Neither did we bungle this extradition request”, the minister adds.
MP SAYS GOVERNMENT LACKS URGENCY
The debate was sponsored by the Good Party’s Brett Heron, who says the government ‘lacks urgency’ in bringing Rajesh and Atul Gupta to book.
“The Gupta brothers became the poster boys of state capture. We have listened to thousands of words from the minister and his department seeking to assure South Africa that they did their best and diplomatically put the blame on the UAE” says Heron.
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“Given the fact that South Africa was an applicant, we have a question of whether we consulted the right people in the UAE. People with the necessary expertise and knowledge of the UAE system of justice”
Lamalo backed himself and says all required documentation was submitted.
“Before submitting the request, there was cooperation and engagement between the two central authorities, including the prosecuting authorities of both countries. And the UAE authorities confirmed and certified that the documents we have submitted in the UAE are in compliance with the extradition agreement. The documents were then submitted by the prosecuting authority of the UAE in the courts in the UAE. Where is the incompetency of the South African Government?
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