The Canadian bank that lent the Guptas $41m to buy their Bombardier jet want to urgently get their hands on the plane‚ saying they fear it could be seized by the asset forfeiture unit (AFU).

Advocate Alfred Cockrell‚ appearing for Export Development Canada (EDC)‚ said the Hawks raids on Gupta homes‚ AFU preservation orders for their properties and bank accounts and the family’s decision to switch off the tracking device on their jet prompted to bank to go to court urgently to ground the aircraft.

The EDC wants the Bombardier Global 6000 with the tail number ZS-OAK grounded because the family defaulted on repayments and to stop it from using it to commit crimes or flee from justice.

The bank’s application to ground the jet is being heard in the South Gauteng High Court on Friday. The application was brought pending the outcome of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom to determine whether the bank lawfully terminated its loan agreement with the Guptas.