MUMBAI: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said Thursday that billionaire Indian tycoon Gautam Adani ought to be taken into custody after US authorities accused him of spending over $250 million in bribes to obtain lucrative government contracts.
Gandhi made his demand after the industrialist’s conglomerate’s stock fell by about 20% in Mumbai the morning after he was charged with willfully deceiving foreign investors in a shocking indictment in New York.
Adani, the former second-richest man in the world and a close supporter of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has long been accused by his detractors of unjustly profiting from their alliance.
“We insist that Adani be taken into custody right away. Gandhi told reporters in New Delhi, “But we know that won’t happen because Modi is protecting him.”
