Atul Gupta claims leaked emails not authentic
2 August 2017
Johannesburg – Atul Gupta has questioned the authenticity of the emails and documents contained in the #GuptaLeaks in an interview with the BBC's Radio 4.
Despite confirmation from a host of individuals implicated or named in the leaked emails that the documents are indeed legitimate, the middle Gupta brother has told the British public broadcaster that the leaks are not authentic.
Gupta's interview with BBC journalist Manveen Rana, the first interview granted by a member of the controversial family since the South African media began reporting on the #GuptaLeaks in May, largely centred around British public relations firm Bell Pottinger's ill-fated work with the Guptas.
"First, let's stop [referring to] Gupta leaks, there is no authenticity of Gupta leaks at all. They are everyday perception mongering to drive their own agenda," Gupta told Rana after she asked him about Bell Pottinger's work with his family's businesses, and the PR firm's simultaneous contact with pro-Gupta political groupings like the ANC Youth League and the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association (MKMVA), as exposed by the #GuptaLeaks.