The requested extradition is, amongst other cases, in connection with the laundering of over R19 million which formed part of a near R25 million feasibility study for the Vrede Dairy Project in the Free State, under the "Mohoma Mobung" initiative. 

The red notices are for the wives of the Gupta brothers, Chetali and Arti; as well as former Nulane Investment Bank of Baroda account signatory Ankit Jain; Director of Wone Management, Ravindra Nath; the Directors of Pragat Investments, Ramesh Bhat and Jagdish Parekh. 

Red notices are published by Interpol at the request of a member country, and must comply with Interpol’s constitution and rules. A red notice is not an international arrest warrant. A Red Notice is an international wanted persons notice, but it is not an arrest warrant.

The spokesperson for the NPA's investigating directorate, Sindisiwe Seboka, provided an update on Monday’s court appearance.

The Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court proceedings pertaining to the criminal case have gone ahead on Monday 5 July without the accused in the dock. State prosecutor in the matter, Peter Serunye, told the Bloemfontein Magistrate, Mbuyiselo Didi, that all involved, including the accused, agreed last week already to have proceedings postponed in their absentia to curb rising Covid-19 infections. Serunye requested that the matter be postponed to 6 September to be transferred to the Free State High Court for trial.

In 2011, the Free State Agriculture Department paid over almost R25 million to Gupta-linked Nulane Investments, which was owned by former Transnet board member, Iqbal Sharma, for the Vrede feasibility study. Nulane Investments – represented by Sharma’s brother-in-law Dinesh Patel – then negotiated and subcontracted the same feasibility study to forensic auditing firm, Deloitte, for R1,5 million. They went further and subcontracted the work already carried out by Deloitte to Gateway Limited and paid them R19 million. The state alleges the funds were thereafter laundered into varied accounts, including that of Islandsite Investments owned by the Gupta family. It is for the money laundering that occurred that the Gupta family has now been linked to the case.

Those arrested already for the case include government officials: Former Free State Agriculture Department Head, Peter Thabethe, Current Deputy Director-General at the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Sylvia Dlamini, and Bloem Water Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Limakatso Moorosi, as well as Patel and Sharma. Patel and the aforementioned government officials have since been released on R10 000 bail. Sharma remains behind bars.

The former Transnet board member and businessman has in his affidavit distanced himself from the running of Nulane Investments and said he was “not the controlling mind” of the company. The state said that this is an extraordinary contention to advance, given that he was the sole director and shareholder of Nulane Investments at all times. The company no longer exists.


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