US Congressmen Question Indictment Of Adani Group, Write To New Attorney General

Six US Congressmen have expressed concern to Attorney General about Justice Department's indictment of Adani Group, alleging bribery in India. They argue that the case may harm US-India relations.

As many as six US Congressmen have written to the new Attorney General of the United States expressing their disagreement with the accusations made against the Adani Group in an alleged bribery scam.

The Congressmen have raised questions to the newly appointed Attorney General regarding the US Department of Justice (DoJ)’s indictment against the conglomerate in the letter. On February 10, Lance Gooden, Pat Fallon, Brandon Gill, William R Timmons, Mike Haridopolos, and Brian Babin highlighted the decisions made by the DoJ under Joe Biden’s administration and wrote to Pamela Bondi.

The US prosecutors have charged Adani for allegedly being a part of a scheme to pay more than $250 million bribe to Indian officials for providing favourable terms for solar power contracts. The prosecutors have claimed that this information was concealed from the American banks and investors, who helped the industrialist raise billions of dollars for the project.

However, these charges have been completely denied by the Adani Group. American laws permit pursuing foreign corruption allegations if they are related to American investors or markets.

'Questionable Pursuit'

The Congressmen in their letter pointed out that India has been an important partner of the US for decades.

"This relationship has flourished beyond politics, trade, and economics by evolving into a continuous socio-cultural exchange between the world’s two largest democracies. This historical partnership and continuous dialogue between friends, however, was put at risk due to some unwise decisions by the Biden administration," the letter read.

One such decision, the Congreemen said, involves a "questionable pursuit of a case against the Adani group". "This case rests on the allegation that preparations were made by members of this company in India to bribe Indian officials, also exclusively located in India. Instead of deferring the case to the appropriate Indian authorities, the Biden DOJ decided to push forward and indict the company’s executives without any real injury to U.S. interests being present," they added.

The Congressmen argued that there was no actual reason to pursue the case in a way that could possibly complicate the relationship between India and the US. “This misguided crusade came at the risk of harming our relationship with a strategic geopolitical partner like India immediately preceding President Trump's return to the Oval Office,” the letter noted.