The Gupta Brothers’ Corruption Scandal Invokes the Ratification of a New Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Treaty Between South Africa and the United Arab Emirates

In 2018, the economic and political stability of South Africa was upended when the Gupta brothers – Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh Gupta – and government officials were caught conspiring together.[1] The Gupta brothers, Indian-born South African businessmen, owned a tectonic empire across South Africa and wielded a great degree of political power.[2] After a government official testified against the Guptas, it was revealed that they allegedly had been involved in a longstanding scheme with members of the South African government, including President Jacob Zuma, to siphon millions of dollars from state-owned firms and the national treasury.[3] President Zuma was forced to resign and the Gupta brothers fled to Dubai, leaving their enterprises in South Africa bankrupt.[4] This scandal “offers a case study in a new, systematic form of graft known as ‘state capture.’ [. . .] It demonstrates how an entire country can fall to foreign influences without a single shot being fired”.[5]