Adani Issue Won't Affect India-US Ties

Asserting that the relationship between India and the United States is built on a strong foundation, the White House has expressed confidence that it can navigate the ongoing crisis surrounding bribery charges against billionaire Gautam Adani.

IMAGE: Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. Photograph: ANI Photo

At her daily news conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that the Biden administration is aware of the charges against Adani.

Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay over $250 million (about Rs 2,100 crore/Rs 21 billion) as bribes to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts.

"Obviously 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 said.

"What I will say is on the US and India relationship, we believe that it stands on an extremely strong foundation anchored in ties between our people and cooperation across a full range of global issues," Jean-Pierre asserted.

"What we believe and we're confident about is that we'll continue to navigate this issue as we have with other issues that may have come up as you just stated," Jean-Pierre added.

"And so the specifics of this, this is something that the SEC and DoJ can speak to directly, but again, we believe thatthis relationship between India and the US has been built on a strong foundation."