US Lawmakers Seek Review of Adani Case to Strengthen India Ties
As the US Congress calls for reconsideration of its new Attorney General, Pamela Bedi, in re-indicting the Adani Group over actions by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), six congressmen voiced opposition to this. In a February 10 letter, they suggested that such moves by the DOJ could further dent US-India relations - the most strategic geopolitics for either country. End.
The DOJ has accused Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s firm of being part of a scheme that allegedly involved paying over $250 million (approximately ?2,100 crore) in bribes to Indian officials in exchange for favorable terms in solar power contracts. Prosecutors claim that these payments were concealed from US banks and investors, from whom the Adani Group raised billions for its projects. US law allows the authorities to pursue foreign corruption cases if they involve American investors or financial markets. However, the Congressmen believe that this particular case should have been handled by Indian authorities.
In their letter, the Congressmen emphasized that India has been a crucial ally of the US for decades, with ties extending beyond politics and trade into socio-cultural cooperation. They expressed their concern that the approach of the Biden administration towards the Adani case may end up damaging this relationship. They said that the historical partnership and continuous dialogue between the two nations were put at risk due to what they called unwise decisions by the Biden administration. They criticized the DOJ's decision to prosecute Adani executives despite the alleged bribery taking place entirely within India. Instead of deferring the case to the appropriate Indian authorities, the letter said the Biden DOJ opted to push on and indict the company's executives without any real injury to US interests being present. The Congressmen asked if external factors might have played a role in the indictment, considering its impact on US-India economic and diplomatic ties.
The letter correlated the timing of the indictment with the nearness of US presidential elections and warned that decisions like these may damage former President Donald Trump's efforts to cement US-India relations. Congressmen recalled Trump's past collaborations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including counter-China policies across the Asia-Pacific region. They said that this misdirected legal pursuit was made at the cost of relations with a strategic geopolitical partner like India at a very critical political moment before President Trump's possible return to the Oval Office.
They also said that politically motivated prosecutions would deter foreign investment in the US. This is what the letter said: unnecessary pursuits against the people who contribute tens of billions and create thousands of jobs repel and make investors shy from contributing to the US economy. They further assailed the Biden administration for concentrating on politically charged legal actions while ignoring national interest, saying, "politically motivated decisions from agencies led by left-wing megadonors can quickly crumble years of hard work and diplomacy forged by US leaders".
The Congressmen called upon Attorney General Bedi to probe the case of how the DOJ handled the case and furnish records related to the indictment. They claimed that this decision would prove to be beneficial for US adversaries, especially China. According to the letter, a fallout in relations not only harms the longstanding partnership with a key ally but also greatly benefits adversaries like China in their goal to eliminate the American economy and achieve total global economic control through their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). They emphasized that revisiting the DOJ's decision would be crucial in determining whether external influences compromised the previous administration.
The letter concluded by making a formal request for an inquiry into the conduct of the DOJ, urging the attorney general to ensure that political motives do not take US legal decisions at the expense of strategic alliances. The Adani Group has denied accusations of bribery in strong words by maintaining that it has followed all regulatory and financial guidelines. However, the controversy surrounding the case has attracted many strings of political attention in the US as well as India.
