Indian billionaire Gautam Adani speaks during an inauguration ceremony after the Adani Group completed the purchase of Haifa Port earlier in January 2023, in Haifa port, Israel January 31, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Asserting that the relationship between India and the U.S. is built on a strong foundation, the White House has expressed confidence that it can navigate the ongoing crisis surrounding bribery charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani.

At her daily news conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday (November 21, 2024) that the administration is aware of the charges against Mr. Adani.

Mr. Adani has been charged by U.S. prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay over $250 million (about ₹2,100 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts.

“Obviously we’re aware of these allegations, and I would have to refer you to the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] and DOJ [Department of Justice] about the specifics of those allegations against the Adani Group,” she said.    

“What I will say is on the U.S. and India relationship, we believe that it stands on an extremely strong foundation anchored in ties between our people and cooperation across a full range of global issues,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.

“What we believe and we’re confident about is that we’ll continue to navigate this issue as we have with other issues that may have come up as you just stated. And so the specifics of this, this is something that the SEC and DOJ can speak to directly, but again, we believe that…this relationship between India and the U.S. has been built on a strong foundation,” the Press Secretary said.