The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India has not received any request from the US in legal matters related to the Adani Group and the US Department of Justice. The Ministry of External Affairs gave this information in its weekly briefing on Friday (November 29).
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, 'We treat this as a legal matter involving private companies, individuals and the US Department of Justice. Obviously, there are established procedures and legal avenues in such cases, which we trust will be followed. The Government of India was not informed about this issue in advance.
We have not communicated with the US government in this matter
Jaiswal said, 'We have not discussed this matter with the US government. At this time the Government of India is not a party to the matter in any way.
A Norwegian diplomat calls the allegations against Adani an American encroachment
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 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.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).