A red notice has been issued by Interpol for brothers Atul and Rajesh Gupta wanted in South Africa to face charges of money laundering. Hermione Cronje, outgoing head of South Africa’s Investigating Directorate, said on Monday, Interpol had approved the notices last month, but had to take another step before moving ahead. Confirmation has now been received and the chase for the Guptas is on.
The Guptas have been fighting against the issuing of the red notice alleging that they are victims who are being accused of crimes they did not commit. Interpol has explained on their website the meaning of red notice, which is a request law enforcement to arrest and extradite suspects who are on the run, or hand them over to the local authorities, who will work with South African law enforcers to bring the alleged criminals to South Africa.
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A red notice is applied for by the country or parties who are looking for suspects who are on the run. A red notice is not an international arrest warrant; it gives notice of suspects who are wanted for crimes. The Gupta brothers were alleged to be in Dubai after they had fled South Africa. Issues of State Capture revealed that the Gupta brothers allegedly were appointing ministers and looting the state funds under the leadership of Jacob Zuma.
When the suspects are arrested the red notice can be used to extradite the wanted suspects. Interpol has however refused to issue red notices for the wives of Atul and Rajesh Gupta.
Source: News24, News18, Tech Central, image from News24
