Gautam Adani Charged by US Prosecutors with $250 Million Bribery Scheme in India

Mumbai, India - In a significant development, billionaire Gautam Adani, chairperson of the Adani Group, has been charged by US prosecutors with involvement in a plan to pay over $250 million in bribes to government officials in India for solar energy contracts.

According to a 54-page indictment, Adani personally met with Indian authorities on multiple occasions to advance the bribery plot. Co-conspirators met in person and communicated through an electronic messaging app to discuss execution of the scheme, even while they were in the US.

The defendants, who referred to each other by code names like "V", "snake", and "numero uno minus one", made extensive electronic documentation of their bribery efforts, including using cell phones to track locations and recipients of promised bribes. They prepared PowerPoint and Excel presentations to determine which payment option was best, with one summarizing options suggested by Adani as a "Development Fee".

Adani was called "Mr A", "numero uno", and "the big man" by his co-conspirators. Some members of the group even destroyed evidence to hide their participation in the scheme, including a PowerPoint analysis and electronic communications.

US prosecutors have charged Adani with involvement in the $250 million bribery scheme, which seeks to undermine India's democratic institutions and corrupt decision-making processes.

A spokesperson for Adani Group said they were "surprised" by the charges but refused to comment further. The development is expected to add to the already intense scrutiny Adani faces over his business dealings in India and abroad. Adani has denied any wrongdoing and maintains that he is innocent until proven guilty.