South Africa declares Gupta brother ‘fugitive from justice’

A day after the ruling ANC ordered Zuma out of office, the Guptas’ prominent role in his presidency was highlighted on Wednesday as elite crime-busters raided the family’s mansion in Johannesburg.

South Africa’s chief prosecutor declared Ajay Gupta, one of the three Gupta brothers accused of corrupt links to ousted president Jacob Zuma, a “fugitive from justice” on Thursday after he failed to hand himself in to police.

Police close off roads around the house of the Gupta family, friends of President Jacob Zuma, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday. (Reuters photo)

“I have been advised by my prosecuting team that Mr Ajay Gupta is a fugitive from justice,” Shaun Abrahams, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, told Reuters. He did not provide further details.

A politically-connected business dynasty that moved to South Africa from India, the Gupta family finds itself at the centre of many of the scandals that have dogged President Jacob Zuma’s administration.

A day after the ruling ANC ordered Zuma out of office, the Guptas’ prominent role in his presidency was highlighted on Wednesday as elite crime-busters raided the family’s mansion in Johannesburg.