Guptas squabbled for months over Sun City bill for THAT wedding

The Guptas took 19 months to settle the bill for a lavish Sun City wedding for their niece‚ reports showed on Tuesday.

The four-day extravaganza was controversial from the start‚ beginning with the landing of the family’s guest party at the Waterkloof Airforce Base.

• Gupta plane used Waterkloof Air Force base againThe Gupta's use of Air Force Base Waterkloof is not just linked to the family's wedding furore. 

The wedding took place from 30 April to 4 May in 2013 at Sun City’s Palace Hotel.

The amaBhungane and Scorpio investigative centres on Tuesday reported on leaked emails that reveal some of the demands made by the Guptas – and their later refusal to cough up for the hefty bill. 

The requests included the use of fireworks‚ ice rigs‚ horses‚ one waiter for every 10 guests‚ complimentary laundry services for guests and the right to bring in their own food.

• #GuptaEmails: Waterkloof air force base has been used by Guptas’ plane on more than one occasionThe Guptas’ use of Air Force Base Waterkloof is not just linked to their family's international wedding furore. 

More than 230 rooms were booked.

The wedding bash appears to have gone smoothly‚ the report said. But the same cannot be said for the aftermath.

To start with‚ the bill was delayed by “a substantial amount” of unreturned operating equipment‚ according to an email sent by former Sun City CEO Richard Hawkins on May 13.

• 14 Quotes about the Gupta family"They want nothing less than a country in their pockets ... A private house in Saxonwold has in effect become the Union Buildings; its occupants landed their private jet at an air force base as if they were heads of state‚ in the process dealing a heavy blow to the credibility of the defence force." – Acclaimed writer and academic Njabulo Ndebele 

Three days later‚ Sahara CEO Ashu Chawla and his team were presented with a bill during a meeting. The invoice amounted to nearly R8-million‚ covering venue hire and incidentals.

But that was just the beginning of a protracted exchange‚ which involved legal threats from both sides and a series of meetings to resolve the dispute.

A payment of R1‚290‚664.64 was made in July‚ but that was far from the end of it.

The Guptas made a further payment of R1‚021‚170 months later.

Gupta staff were still wrangling over amounts claimed by Sun City in December 2014‚ which is the last time the matter appears in the leaked emails‚ Scorpio and amaBhungane reported.