MUMBAI: India’s oil minister said on Wednesday he had communicated with and met the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time in the United States, but said he had no connection to any wrongdoings or crimes.
Hardeep Singh Puri, a career diplomat-turned-politician, said he was part of the International Peace Institute, a New York think tank headed by Norwegian diplomat and former cabinet minister Terje Roed-Larsen until 2020, and met Epstein “three or maximum four times” during his time there.
Roed-Larsen, 78, has apologised for his connection to Epstein and his wife, Mona Juul, a Norwegian ambassador, stepped down over her links to Epstein.
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Puri’s comments came in response to questions by India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in parliament on Wednesday. Gandhi said Puri’s name had been mentioned in Epstein’s emails and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to clarify what his dealings with Epstein were.
Puri, who served as India’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2009-2013, became a minister in Modi’s cabinet in 2017. He denied any wrongdoing.
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice show emails between Puri and Epstein, mostly referring to Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, who Puri said he wanted to invite to India so he could explore the country’s potential for internet-based businesses.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by YP Rajesh and Ros Russell)
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