Erik Solheim, a Norwegian diplomat and formal executive director of the UN Environment Programme, has criticized a recent report by the US government, which has accused eight people, including Gautam Adani, of billions of rupees in bribery and fraud.
Calling it 'American encroachment', he spoke about the global media coverage of the report and asked – When will the American encroachment stop? Solheim said there was no evidence of actual bribe payments or involvement of Adani Group leaders in the allegations.
There is no evidence that Adani officials paid bribes to Indian government officials. The charge is based only on the allegation that a bribe was promised or discussed. This American encroachment could have serious consequences on people's lives.
Forced to spend time and resources in court This forces the Adani group to spend time and resources in court instead of building solar and wind plants, Eric Solheim wrote on social media platform X. Actions by US officials hamper India's green energy transition and disrupt one of the country's biggest economic powerhouses. Now is the time to stop the American invasion!
The case was filed in federal court in New York on October 24, 2024 In fact, on November 21, the United States Attorney's Office said that Adani paid or planned to pay bribes of $265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) to Indian officials to secure contracts related to solar power in India.
The entire matter is related to Adani Group company Adani Green Energy Limited and another firm. The case was filed in federal court in New York on October 24, 2024. Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, Vineet S Jain, Ranjit Gupta, Cyril Cabenis, Saurabh Agarwal, Deepak Malhotra and Rupesh Agarwal have been made accused in the hearing held on Wednesday i.e. November 20.
According to a Reuters report, arrest warrants have also been issued against Gautam Adani and Sagar. Sagar is an officer of Adani Green Energy Limited.
In picture, Gautam Adani (seated on chair, first from right) and Sagar Adani (standing back, first from left).
Understand, what is The whole case of manipulation and bribery… According to a US Justice Department filing, Solar Energy Corporation of India or SECI had signed a contract to supply 12 gigawatts of power to the country. SECI is a renewable energy company of the Government of India, which aims to increase the use of solar energy in the country.
Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) and a foreign company won the contract between December 2019 and July 2020. A Letter of Award (LOA) was issued to him.
A problem arose here. SECI was not getting customers for electricity purchased from AGEL and foreign companies. In such a situation it is not able to purchase electricity from AGEN and foreign companies. This would have hurt Adani's company and the foreign firm.
According to the chargesheet, Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, Vineet Jain and 7 others conspired to bribe officials. So that state governments can enter into power sale agreements with SECI and find buyers for their solar power contracts.
According to the charge sheet, 'Gautam Adani met the senior Andhra Pradesh official several times between August 7, 2021 and November 20, 2021. So that solar power agreement is signed between Andhra Pradesh Electricity Distribution Company (APEPDCL) and SECI.'
After this an agreement was signed between APEPDCL and SECI. AGEL and a foreign firm were awarded the contract. After this the State Electricity Distribution Boards of Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Jammu-Kashmir signed agreements for purchase of electricity.
Two official documents were released in this whole matter
1. Indictment filed by American prosecutors in the Clerk's Office of the Eastern District Court of New York. There is no mention of an arrest warrant.
2. Press release issued by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. It also does not mention the arrest warrant against Gautam Adani.
At the same time, the American news agency Reuters wrote in a report on November 21, 'According to court records, a judge has issued arrest warrants for Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani. Prosecutors are preparing to hand over the warrant to foreign law enforcement.
Adani Group declared all the allegations baseless Adani Group has dismissed all the allegations as baseless. The group issued a statement on November 21 saying- 'The allegations leveled by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission against the directors of Adani Green Energy Limited are baseless. We refute them.
The US Justice Department itself said that these are only allegations at this time. Accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Sagar Adani manages the energy business Gautam Adani's nephew Sagar holds a degree in Economics from Brown University US. Sagar joined the Adani Group in 2015. Sagar manages the group's energy business and finance. He focuses on the renewable energy business and plans to make the company the world's largest renewable energy producer by 2030.
Adani Green Energy has a clean energy portfolio of over 20 GW Adani Green Energy Limited has a clean energy portfolio of more than 20 GW, including the world's largest solar power plant in the country's southern state of Tamil Nadu. Adani Group aims to become the country's largest company in this sector by 2030. The market cap of the company is Rs 1.85 lakh crore.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
