South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have ratified treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance, which have been in negotiation since 2010.

The announcement comes as South Africa looks to extradite the controversial Gupta family to stand trial.

The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services affirmed that the treaties will enhance cooperation between the two States on legal matters and assist in the investigation and prosecution of crimes.

The Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance agreement between the two nations were entered into on September 25, 2018.

“In our bilateral meeting, the Ambassador of the UAE reaffirmed that our ties are only held together by cooperation. We have reassured our counterparts that whilst we welcome the ratification of the treaties, our expectations are yet to be fulfilled and this is a critical component of relations,” said South Africa’s Justice Ministry.

The Ministry explained that it had not received the required cooperation in terms of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which was ratified by both countries.

“However, we will continue to pursue our counterparts through diplomatic channels, in order to reach the desired levels of cooperation to enable our law enforcement agencies to bring to justice persons of interest on any investigation they are pursuing,” said the Ministry.

It further hopes that the ratification of the two treaties symbolises a change of course and cooperation, despite the lack of assistance needed through the United Nations convention.

The treaties will come into force on July 10, 2021.