NPA ‘not ready’ for Gupta charges, slam arrest reports as ‘truck load full of rubbish’

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has rubbished weekend reports that it is intending to soon charge the Gupta brothers and Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, but has assured investigations into state capture are an advanced stage.

“It is a truck load full of rubbish,” NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku said. There is no indictment sitting on the National Director’s desk, he added. “You do not have an indictment before you finalise the investigations. You cannot go and conduct a search while you have an indictment sitting with you. “An indictment is a product of a fully completed investigation. But we are on record as saying the investigation in respect of state of capture is at an advanced stage.

“And we are moving with speed in terms of ensuring that there is accountability.” The National Director and the Head of the hawks were last week briefed by the prosecution and investigation team, Mfaku said. “I was part of that briefing and it was about the search warrants and the issues around that they wanted to apply for search warrants.

It was interrogated and on the grounds for that they were satisfied. They were authorised to go ahead, hence the searches were conducted.

“There was nothing on an indictment or names in terms of who is going to be prosecuted. Their sources are discredited,” he charged. But the Saturday Star, the City Press and Sunday Times all reported that the publications reliably learnt of the arrests.

With regards to the Gupta family’s whereabouts The Saturday Star quoted a source as saying: “We don’t foresee any suspect skipping (the) country-at least we are aware of that and made requisite plans to mitigate against it.”

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