The White House has confirmed its awareness of the bribery allegations surrounding billionaire Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group. Gautam Adani, along with several other individuals, including nephew Sagar Adani, has been indicted in New York for allegedly orchestrating a large-scale bribery and fraud scheme.
Adani Group has dismissed as "baseless" the US charges that its billionaire founder, Gautam Adani, paid over $250 million in bribes. In a statement, the conglomerate rejected the allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission against Adani Green's directors, asserting that it would seek all possible legal recourse.
According to US prosecutors, Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and six other co-defendants are accused of paying around $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials. These payments were reportedly made to secure lucrative contracts estimated to generate $2 billion in profit over two decades. The alleged deals also include the development of India’s largest solar power plant project.
The Adani Group has denied all allegations, dismissing them as “baseless.” However, officials from the Indian government have yet to provide any comment on the matter.
During a media briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the ongoing legal situation surrounding the Adani Group. Jean-Pierre reiterated that the Biden administration is fully aware of the charges against Adani, though she refrained from commenting further on the specifics of the case.
“We're aware of these allegations, and I would have to refer you to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and DOJ (Department of Justice) about the specifics of those allegations against the Adani Group,” Jean-Pierre stated.
Despite the serious nature of the claims, Jean-Pierre expressed confidence in the stability of the US-India relationship, underscoring the strong foundations on which this bilateral partnership is built.
“The relationship between the US and India is built on an extremely strong foundation,” Jean-Pierre noted. “What we believe and we are confident about is that we'll continue to navigate this issue as we have with other issues that may have come up.”
The press secretary further stressed that the White House views the ongoing relationship between the two countries as vital, with cooperation spanning a wide range of global issues.
Jean-Pierre also reassured the media that any details regarding the charges against Gautam Adani would be handled by the SEC and DOJ, leaving those agencies to speak on the specifics of the investigation.
“We believe that this relationship between the two nations has been built on a strong foundation,” she concluded.
