Sri Lanka probes Adani Group’s US$442 million wind power deal amid US bribery allegations

Sri Lanka has opened an investigation into the local investments of India’s Adani Group in the wake of US bribery charges against its tycoon founder, government spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said on Tuesday.

Jayatissa, speaking at the first cabinet briefing of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s new government, said both the finance and foreign ministries had been asked to review infrastructure projects awarded to the Indian conglomerate.

“We will take a decision about these projects based on the two reports we have commissioned,” said Jayatissa, who is also the information and health minister.

Dissanayake came to power in September, promising to tackle corruption and bring back stolen Sri Lankan assets said to be stashed abroad.

Billionaire Indian industrialist Gautam Adani was charged on November 19, accused of paying bribes and hiding the payments from US investors, US prosecutors said.

The Adani Group has dismissed all bribery charges as “baseless”.