Adani saga: Govt steps aside, says matter between pvt parties and US

Foreign ministry spokesperson says India has not been consulted by America

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has characterised the recent US legal proceedings involving Adani group Chairman Gautam Adani and other senior executives as a “legal matter between private parties and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ)”.

 

The Indian government has not been consulted by the US on the issue, said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday. The government is not legally part of the matter in any manner, at this point in time, he stressed.

 

"We see this as a legal matter involving private firms and individuals, and the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Obviously there are established procedures and legal avenues in such cases, which I believe would be followed. The Government of India had not been informed of the issue in advance. We also haven't had any conversation on this particular matter with the US government," Jaiswal said during the weekly MEA press briefing.

 

 

Jaiswal underscored that there is no current basis for legal cooperation between India and the US on this matter. “Any request by a foreign government for service of summons or arrest warrant is part of mutual legal assistance. But such requests are examined on merit. We have not received any request in this case from the US side,” he noted.

 

US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and six others in connection with multiple counts of bribery and fraud under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The allegations involve a scheme to bribe Indian government officials in exchange for solar energy supply contracts, reportedly yielding $2 billion in profits over two decades. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also filed a related complaint in the Eastern District of New York, alleging the Adani group raised $175 million from US investors during the scheme.

 

Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has since pushed back on some of the accusations, stating Wednesday that allegations of FCPA violations by Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vneet Jaain are “incorrect.” However, the company acknowledged that the executives face three other charges, including securities fraud and wire fraud.