The South African government announced on Friday that a court in the United Arab Emirates had refused its request to extradite the Atul and Rajesh Gupta brothers, who are at the center of a wide government corruption scandal involving former President Jacob Zuma.

Justice Minister Ronald Lamula said the government had been informed Thursday evening of a decision by a Dubai court not to allow the extradition of the two brothers, who were arrested in the same city in June.

"We learned with astonishment and disappointment that the extradition session was held in a court in Dubai on February 13, 2023, and that our extradition request was rejected," Lamola said in a statement.

The Gupta brothers and their third brother, Ajay, are of Indian origin and are major businessmen. They are accused of plundering state coffers in collusion with Zuma during the nine years of his rule (2009-2018).

South Africa had applied for the extradition of the two brothers in July, shortly after their arrest in Dubai.

The three brothers fled South Africa shortly after the establishment of a commission headed by Judge Raymond Zondo in 2018 to investigate state corruption.

The extradition request includes a questionable government contract case worth 1.5 million euros and forms only a fraction of the charges against the Gupta brothers.

Lamola said that the UAE court considered that it had the jurisdiction to look into the money laundering incidents of which the Brotherhood is accused because it took place in the country itself and in South Africa.

On charges of fraud and corruption, the court decided to cancel the arrest warrant, the Minister of Justice said, explaining that "the reasons given for rejecting our request cannot be explained."