'Chasing rumours abroad': US Congressman slams Biden govt over Adani indictment

NEW DELHI: Republican Congressman Lance Gooden wrote a strong-worded letter to US Attorney General Merrick B Garland against the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani, calling it a "selective action" that risks damaging Washington's "critical alliance" with India.

Gooden, who is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee, demanded answers on the Justice Department’s "selective prosecution" and asked if there was any Geroge Soros connection to it.

"The Department of Justice’s selective actions risk damaging critical alliances with key partners like India, one of America’s strongest allies in the Asia-Pacific region,” Gooden said in his letter dated January 7, reported news agency PTI.

"Instead of pursuing cases with tenuous jurisdiction and limited relevance to US interests, the DOJ should focus on punishing bad actors at home, rather than chasing rumours abroad," he said.

On November 20, 2024, US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani and several executives from his conglomerate, the Adani Group, with orchestrating a $250 million bribery scheme aimed at securing contracts for solar power projects in India.

The US Department of Justice indicted Adani, along with his nephew, Sagar Adani, and several associates.

They are accused of orchestrating a $250 million bribery scheme to secure lucrative green energy contracts in India. The charges include securities and wire fraud, alleging the Adani Group lied to US investors about its anti-bribery practices while engaging in widespread corruption.

In a strongly worded statement, the conglomerate rejected the allegations. "The charges made by the US Department of Justice and SEC against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied," the group said, promising to fight the case vigorously.