Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Denies Wrongdoing in Epstein Files Controversy

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri issued a vehement clarification on Wednesday over mention of his name in the Epstein files. The BJP-led government has also indicated plans to file a privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi over explosive allegations levelled in Parliament. The Congress MP had invoked the newly released Epstein files during his speech — questioning how prominent Indian leaders had known the disgraced financier. “I was invited to join the International Peace Institute. My interactions were professional and related to the Independent Commission on Multilateralism —, where the chair was the former Australian Prime Minister and I served as Secretary-General. My boss at IPI (Terje Larsen) knew Epstein, and I met Epstein only as part of a delegation discussing UN-related issues. I also met LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. But only in the context of professional discussions on India’s internet and business opportunities,” Puri clarified. The Union Minister denied claims of any wrongdoing — reiterating that he had been a “far-sighted private citizen providing insights about India’s opportunities” at the time. Puri added that he had only met the convicted sex offender “as part of the delegation of IPI or ICMS” on a few occasions. “Any claims connecting me to Epstein’s criminal activities are baseless. The only substantive emails involved professional advice about India’s economy and internet-based opportunities,” he added. Documents released in connection with the Epstein case have so far crossed the six million mark — including emails and text messages, flight logs, photos and videos, court filings, psychological evaluations, surveillance footage and more. Several hundred people have been named in the documents, with many finding only tangential mention in conversations. It is pertinent to note that being named in the Epstein files is not equivalent to any wrongdoing. Gandhi had raised the matter during his Lok Sabha speech — going on to claim that Puri knew who had introduced Anil Ambani to Epstein. The businessman has also been named in the newly released tranche of files and Gandhi insisting on Wednesday that the Reliance Group MD should be jailed. He did not elaborate. “There is a businessman Anil Ambani, I want to ask why is he not in jail? The reason is that his name is in the Epstein Files. I would also like to ask Hardeep Puri, who introduced him to Epstein. I know who introduced him, and Hardeep Puri knows who introduced him,” Gandhi claimed in the Lok Sabha. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had also dismissed similar claims on the final day of January this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had found mention in the documents after an email referenced his 2017 visit to Israel. “We have seen reports of an email message from the so-called Epstein files that has a reference to the Prime Minister and his visit to Israel. Beyond the fact of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt,” Jaiswal said.