Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “protecting” tycoon Gautam Adani on Thursday, after the billionaire businessman was charged in the United States with a vast bribery plot.
“We want Adani’s immediate arrest. But we know that would not happen because Modi is shielding him,” Gandhi said during a press conference in the capital, New Delhi.
US authorities have accused Indian billionaire Gautam Adani for allegedly participating in a $265 million bribery conspiracy against Indian officials, sending his company into a severe crisis for the second time in two years.
Adani, one of the richest people in the world, and seven other defendants were charged with several charges of fraud, which US investigators claim included a company that was listed in New York and impacted American investors.
Following a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research accusing the Adani Group of inappropriately employing offshore tax havens, which the firm rejected, the allegations come after a turbulent year for the company.
Adani Green Energy, the business at the center of the claims, canceled a $600 million sale of bonds denominated in US dollars, and shares and bonds of Adani companies fell sharply on Thursday.
According to court documents, prosecutors intend to transmit the arrest warrants that have been obtained in the US for Adani and his nephew Sagar to international law enforcement.
