Bhubaneswar, Nov 22: Former Energy and Industry Minister and Aul MLA Pratap Keshari Deb on Friday dismissed allegations linking former Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government with the alleged Adani Group bribery case.
"Allegations levelled against the previous BJD government as far as energy distribution and purchase is concerned...is baseless because we do not have any such direct agreement of power purchase with the Adani group," Dev said.
His statement comes when US prosecutors have indicted Gautam Adani and seven others for allegedly bribing Indian government officials to secure solar power contracts.
Prosecutors claim the Adani Group paid millions of dollars in bribes, with a significant portion directed at officials in Andhra Pradesh (under Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress), Odisha (ruled by Naveen Patnaik's BJD), Tamil Nadu (under DMK), Chhattisgarh (under Congress), and Jammu and Kashmir (under central rule).
On Thursday, the Adani Group strongly refuted bribery allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of the Adani Green terming them baseless.
Adani Group spokesperson, in an official statement, said all legal recourse will be taken. "The US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied," the statement read.
