Patel turned down number of Gupta invitations – report

The Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, reportedly responded to a Democratic Alliance (DA) MP’s question by saying that he had turned down a number of invites from the controversial Guptas.

News24 reports that one of these invites was to the infamous wedding at Sun City.

In a written reply, Patel reportedly said that he was never influenced and had never received instructions from the Guptas and those linked to them, and that none of the staff at his department had done the same.

The minister, however, reportedly said that during former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure he had attended meetings and official functions where the Guptas were also in attendance, and that at these events his engagements with the Guptas were the same as those they had had with others present.

Patel was quoted as saying in his written reply that in about 2011 his office received a request from one of the Guptas who was requesting to meet with the minister.

He said he declined this request because no information had been given to warrant a meeting and that he had directed his office to refer the Gupta family member to any official within the department instead.

The minister said he also turned down invitations to Diwali celebrations with the Guptas.

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