NEW DELHI: Senior lawyers on Wednesday decoded the Gautam Adani-indictment in US with Mahesh Jethmalani questioning the “sketchy evidence” and Mukul Rohatgi calling it “a chargesheet, which charges individuals, for doing specific acts.”
“It clearly is an attempt, although it emanates from a court in the US… given the nature of the indictment, the sketchy evidence and some very important circumstances, this seems to be a hatchet job,” Jethmalani said.
“It is important to note that count one and count five are more important than others, but neither in count one, nor in five, is Adani or his nephew charged, this is like a chargesheet, which charges individuals, for doing specific acts,” Mukul Rohatgi said as he made it clear that he wasn’t a “spokesperson” of the Adani Group but has taken up several cases related to the Group in courts.
“So count one mentions charge against certain other persons, minus the two Adanis, it includes some of their officers, and one foreign person, that is the conspiracy to violate foreign corrupt practices act (FCPA), it is similar to Prevention of Corruption Act in India, it was framed by US Parliament,” he added.
What the lawyers said on Congress raising issue in Parliament
Calling it a “political tool,” Mukul Rohatgi said that Congress party was using this as a “divergent tactic” to distract people’s attention from their loss in Maharashtra elections.
“This is clearly a political tool. They have just had a rout in the Maharashtra elections. They’ve been successful winners in coalition on the coattails of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha but Maharashtra was a prize which they were very confident of winning. This is a completely divergent tactic. They have no other issues,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jethmalani said that Congress’s demand to raise the issue in Parliament was “completely misconceived.”
“What is the evidence which proves that there was any conspiracy to bribe Indian officials to get these solar energy contracts? There is nothing in the indictment. The Congress party is relying blindly on an indictment against an Indian conglomerate which has undertaken useful businesses for India abroad and it is trying to undermine them,” he said.
US prosecutors have indicted Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and several others for allegedly masterminding a bribery scheme worth Rs 2,000 crore ($265 million) to secure solar power contracts in India. The charges include conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), securities fraud, and obstruction of justice. As a result, arrest warrants have been issued for the Adanis, with US authorities requesting international cooperation in the matter.
The Adani Group has called the indictment “baseless” and rejected bribery allegations made by US authorities against its founder Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and Adani Green Energy CEO Vneet Jaain.