New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said in its weekly briefing that India has not received any communication from the United States regarding the Adani Group. It firmly rejected reports suggesting that Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and others had been summoned.
“We see this as a legal matter involving private firms and individuals and the US Department of Justice. Obviously, there are established procedures and legal avenues in such cases which we believe would be followed. The government of India was not informed in advance on the issue,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in Delhi today.
“We haven’t also had any conversation on this particular matter with the US government,” he said.
The MEA spokesperson further said that requests from foreign governments for the service of summons or arrest warrants fall under mutual legal assistance agreements, but each request is assessed on its own merits.
“We have not received any request on this case from the US side,” he said. “This is a matter involving private individuals and entities and the Government of India is not involved in any way at this stage.”
Adani Group denies bribery charges
The Adani Group has maintained that Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and senior executive Vneet Jaain are not facing any bribery charges, said the US Department of Justice. In a stock exchange filing, Adani Green, a subsidiary of the Adani Group, dismissed media reports concerning the US legal proceedings as inaccurate, NDTV reported.
The group said that neither Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani, nor Vneet Jaain has been charged with any violations under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) as outlined in the indictment or the civil complaint by the US SEC. The Department of Justice’s indictment includes five counts, but the first and fifth counts—conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to obstruct justice—do not mention the three directors, according to the Adani Group.
“Reckless” media reports slammed
The statement from the Adani Group also said that various media outlets, both foreign and Indian, had a “flawed understanding” of the US indictment, which led to “incorrect and reckless reporting” that the three directors were involved in corruption or bribery. The indictment only contains claims of bribes being discussed or promised but does not present evidence of any bribery involving Indian government officials, the group said.
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