Outcomes of a Bilateral between the Minister of Justices of RSA and UAE
On 5 June 2023, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, met with H.E. Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, the Minister of Justice of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi. The objective of the meeting was focused on enhancing the partnership in mutual legal assistance and extradition matters between the two countries for the mutual benefit of both nations.
The meeting also dealt with the Gupta extradition processes. During the meeting, Minister Lamola expressed his concerns about the status of fugitives and the court's findings. He suggested measures that could be taken to facilitate successful extradition and emphasized that this is a matter of national interest for South Africa.
The UAE has put in place all the necessary measures to meet its international obligations and assist and support South Africa in its quest to bring justice to the Republic of South Africa and the UAE.
Following the productive discussions, an agreement was reached to quickly address the issues by setting up a joint task team of prosecutors from both countries.
A technical joint task team will meet on 15 June to go through the extradition requests for extradition afresh and the additional mutual legal assistance from South Africa. Furthermore, the nations' respective financial intelligence centres review all the information required. Establishing this task team will allow them to collaborate closely to ensure the fair administration of justice. This is a positive step towards strengthening the partnership and achieving shared goals.
Enquiries
Mr Chrispin Phiri
Cell: (+27)(0)817812261
