IN THE first official comment after the US indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani for his alleged role in a bribery scheme, the government on Friday termed it as a “legal matter involving private individuals and private entities and the US Department of Justice”. Responding to a question at the weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian government was not informed in advance about the matter, nor had it received any request to serve a summons or arrest warrant. “Obviously, there are established procedures and legal avenues in such cases which we believe would be followed…We have not been informed in advance on the issue,” he said. Jaiswal added that there had been no “conversations” with the US on the matter. “This is a matter that pertains to private individuals and private entities. The Government of India, we are not part of it legally in any manner at this point in time. We see it as a case between the US Department of Justice and private individuals and entities,” he said. Saying that the government had not received any requests to serve summons or arrest warrants in the matter, he said such requests are part of mutual legal assistance and are examined on merits. Last week, US prosecutors indicted Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and six others for allegedly offering Rs 2,029 crore (US $265 million) in bribes to Indian government officials for securing “lucrative solar energy supply contracts” with state electricity distribution companies. Denying the charges as “baseless”, the Adani Group had said: “As stated by the US Department of Justice itself, ‘the charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.’ All possible legal recourse will be sought…We assure our stakeholders, partners and employees that we are a law-abiding organisation, fully compliant with all laws.”
