Puri Denies Wrongdoing, Claims Professional Meetings with Epstein

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday, responding to Rahul Gandhi's charges linking the former to Epstein files,denied any wrongdoingsand said that he had met the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein only "three or maximum four times". Experience a more refined e-paper today In his clarification, Puri said that his e-mail to Epstein was related to Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, in a bid to "explore India's potential for internet-based businesses." He also said that he had exchanged only one e-mail with Epstein. Puri further added, “I want to remind you that today, during the Parliament session, my name was mentioned in the context of some developments elsewhere—the Epstein files. I just want to share some information... I want to clarify that these facts are all public. Three million emails have been released, covering the period from May 2009, when I joined as India’s Ambassador to the UN in New York, until I became a minister in 2017. During this period, there are references to only three or four meetings, and my interactions were entirely professional, related to the Independent Commission on Multilateralism and other international work.” The Oil minister also said that he was part of the International Peace Institute, a New York-based think tank led by Norwegian diplomat Terje Roed-Larsen, until 2020. Roed-Larsen had apologised for his connection with Epstein and his wife. (With agency inputs)