Foreign Ministry Responds, 'No Request From US' on Adani Case

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) addressed the ongoing legal case involving the Adani Group and the US Department of Justice (DOJ), clarifying that India has not received any communication or request from the US government regarding the issue.

 No Communication on Adani Group

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that the matter is a legal issue between private individuals and entities, and the US Department of Justice, which India views as falling under established legal procedures. The government, he stated, was not informed in advance of the legal actions being taken in the United States, and no discussions have taken place with the US government on the matter.

Jaiswal further explained that any requests for legal assistance, such as summons or arrest warrants from foreign governments, are processed based on mutual legal assistance agreements. However, the government of India has not received any such request in this case.

The case involves a civil complaint filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and an indictment from the US DOJ in the Eastern District Court of New York. These charges have reportedly been linked to potential violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Despite the legal proceedings, the Adani Group has strongly denied any corruption charges against its top executives, including chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vneet Jaain. The Adani Group has clarified that the indictment and civil complaint do not include bribery or corruption charges against its key directors. It emphasized that media reports suggesting otherwise were based on a flawed understanding of the case. According to the group, the US legal documents only mention that bribes were discussed or promised, but there is no evidence of actual bribery involving Indian government officials. Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, commenting on the charges, pointed out the absence of details in the chargesheet about who was allegedly bribed, further questioning the validity of the case.