The Indian government said it had not received any request from US authorities relating to an arrest warrant issued against industrialist Gautam Adani in connection with bribery charges. The announcement came amid reports of an indictment against Adani by the US Department of Justice.
The MEA in a statement explained that the legal case against Adani-related entities is purely a matter for the US judiciary to deal with. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “This is a legal matter involving private firms and individuals and the US Department of Justice.” He also said that “established procedures and legal avenues” would be followed in such cases.
Anything in the realm of legal steps having to do with India-which covers the arrest of an accused-must first be a communication to the Indian Home Ministry, who in turn then instructs the relevant federal authorities to carry out the request.
Local reports quote unidentified sources alleging that the indictment against Adani contains bribery for receipt of solar energy contracts in India as well as fraudulent financial statement disclosures to hoodwink American investors.
If US authorities want to extradite Adani on charges, they will have to invoke the India-US extradition treaty. According to the treaty, the US will have to show evidence that the actions of the accused are related to the violation of American laws and also establish the jurisdictional impact of the committed action.
The MEA spokesperson said the Indian government was not consulted beforehand on the indictment and that it has not discussed the issue with US officials. “Any request by a foreign government for the service of a summons or arrest warrant is part of mutual legal assistance. Such requests are examined on their merits. We have not received any request in this case from the US side,” he said.
The spokesperson reiterated that it is a private matter between the parties and that, legally, the government has no role to play at this stage. To these allegations, the Adani Group has termed the charges “baseless” and said it will take all legal steps against these allegations.
