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US charges Indian billionaire with fraud

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Gautam Adani has been charged with fraud in the US, which has accused him of orchestrating a $250m (£198m) bribery scheme and concealing it to raise money in the US.

The criminal charges, filed on Wednesday in New York, are the latest blow to 62-year-old Mr Adani, one of India’s richest men, whose business empire extends from ports and airports to renewable energy.

In the indictment, prosecutors alleged the tycoon and other senior executives had agreed to the payments to Indian officials to win contracts for his renewable energy company expected to yield more than $2bn in profits over 20 years.

The Adani Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The conglomerate has been operating under a cloud in the US since 2023, when a high-profile company published a report accusing it of fraud. The claims, which Mr Adani denied, prompted a major market sell-off.

Reports of this bribery probe have been circling for months. Prosecutors said the US started investigating the company in 2022, and found the inquiry obstructed.

They allege that executives raised $3bn in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm’s anti-bribery practices and policies, as well as reports of the bribery probe.

“As alleged, the defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and… lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors,” US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement announcing the charges.

“My office is committed to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace and protecting investors from those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the integrity of our financial markets,” he added.

On several occasions Mr Adani met personally with government officials to advance the bribery scheme, officials said.

Mr Adani is a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has long faced claims from opposition politicians alleging that he has benefited from his political ties, which he denies.

The US Attorney positions in the US are appointed by the president. The filing comes just weeks after Donald Trump won election to the White House, pledging to overhaul the US Justice Department.

Last week on social media, Mr Adani congratulated Trump on his election win and pledged to invest $10bn in the US.

(BBC News)

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Gold recovered during war, handed over to police (Video)

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Gold and Silver belonging to civilians, which had been recovered by the Army while in the possession of the LTTE during the war, have been officially handed over to Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasuriya.
The stock of gold and silver was handed over to the Acting IGP at the Army Headquarters in Battaramulla today (May 02).

According to the Sri Lanka Army, the Gold and Silver are to be transferred to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka via the National Gem and Jewellery Authority for valuation.

The Army further said that the items will be returned to their rightful owners upon proof of identity and ownership.

(Video : News1st)

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Parliament to convene on May 8th & 9th

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The Secretary General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, stated that Parliament is scheduled to convene on May 8th and 9th. She further stated that the Parliamentary Business pertaining to the said days were decided during the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held today (02) under the Chairmanship of Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.

Accordingly, on Thursday, May 8, the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allocated for Business of Parliament as per Standing Order 22(1) to (6). The time from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been allotted for Questions for Oral Answers, while the time from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allocated for Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of the Parliament. Thereafter, from 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., time has been allotted to debate the Resolution under the Customs Ordinance (Chapter 235) Schedule “A” relating to Import Duties, presented on 09.04.2025, pertaining to the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2421/05 dated 27.01.2025.

Subsequently, from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., time has been allotted to take up the Motion at the Adjournment Time by the Opposition.

On Friday, May 9, the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allocated for Business of Parliament as per Standing Order 22(1) to (6). The time from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been allotted for Questions for Oral Answers, and the time from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allocated for Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of the Parliament. Thereafter, from 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., time has been allotted to debate six Private Members’ Motions.

Accordingly, the motion to appropriately curtail the privileges enjoyed by people’s representatives representing the Parliament of Sri Lanka, and former heads of state and their widows, presented by Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage, the motion for the formulating of a programme to enhance the state sector involvement in the importation and distribution of essential items of food, presented by Hon. Member of Parliament Rohana Bandara, the motion for the Preparation of a course of action for the implementation of the recommendations given by the audit reports, presented by Member of Parliament Chaminda Wijesiri are scheduled to be debated.

Furthermore, the motion to provide a house for every family in Sri Lanka to live in, presented by Member of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, the motion to formulate laws to import only buses that comply with public transport standards, presented by Member of Parliament Ravindra Bandara and the motion to take actions to use all the buildings that have been constructed in Sri Lanka so far under the name of “development proposals”, but have not been put to any use, for public usage, presented by Member of Parliament Lal Premanath are also scheduled to be debated.

Subsequently, from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., time has been allocated to take up Questions at the Adjournment Time.

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27-yr old dies in police custody

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A 27-year old has died in the custody of the Kosgoda police, reports say.

The deceased, named Tharindu Siriwardena, had been arrested with drugs yesterday (May 01), police say.

Noting that he had passed away while being taken to hospital after falling ill, police say that an investigation on the death will be done. 

However, the deceased’s father has stated that his son was severely beaten by the Kosgoda police when arrested.

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