India's oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said 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 on Wednesday he was part of the International Peace Institute (IPI), a New York think tank headed by Norwegian diplomat and former cabinet minister Terje Roed-Larsen until 2020, and met the disgraced Jewish American financier "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.
Puri's comments came in response to questions by India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in parliament.
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 US 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.
Puri said that Epstein once called him "two-faced" in communication, and emphasised he had no interest in or knowledge of Epstein's illegal activities — he was seen as "not the right person" for them.
Puri expedites Epstein's visa request
Puri’s ties to Epstein have come under intense scrutiny in India after email exchanges, including one in which Puri was trying to pitch India's economic opportunities under initiatives like Make in India and Digital India, and wanted to arrange Hoffman's visit to India to explore internet-based businesses, tech, and investment potential.
One notable email from Puri to Epstein in December 2014 said "Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island," while asking to meet and provide books to generate interest in India.
High-profile people have come under scrutiny for visits to Little Saint James, notoriously known as "Epstein Island", the private redoubt in the US Virgin Islands where prosecutors say Epstein trafficked underage girls for sex.
Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking minor girls.
Another from November 13, 2014, involved Puri emailing Hoffman, with Epstein copied, about India being a "terrific opportunity" for internet-based economic activity.
There were also follow-ups, such as Puri asking Epstein for advice on meetings or arrangements related to Hoffman.
On October 24, 2014, Epstein emailed Puri, saying his "my assistant needs a quick visa so she can attend a wedding in India. Is there someone at the consulate she can talk to?"
Puri expedited Epstein's request, instructing two senior embassy officials to fast-track it.
The millions of files, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, recently released by the US also mention Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This includes emails about his US visits and India-Israel relations.
In an email, Epstein's claimed Modi had followed his advice to travel to Israel in 2017 to strengthen relations with the United States.
"The Indian Prime Minister Modi took advice and danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US president. They had met a few weeks ago. IT WORKED," the email message from Epstein reads.
Puri is also under attack from spokesperson of Indian opposition Pawan Khera who has asked Puri why why he sought "advice" from Epstein on professional matters, citing a 2014 email where Puri wrote, "You, my friend, make things happen. Any advice?"
Khera also asked why Puri appeared to downplay Epstein's conviction for soliciting a minor as merely "soliciting favours of a woman who was underage."
The Congress spokesperson called this minimisation of child sexual exploitation "monstrous" and demanded Puri show "moral clarity" instead of defending his interactions.
Epstein’s personal disdain for India
While Puri, according to his emails, was trying to "excite" Epstein's interest in India, the Jewish American sex offender had been expressing personal disdain for India in private emails.
Epstein expressed extreme dislike for the idea of going to India, including calling it "filthy" in one 2014 email exchange. "I want nothing to do with India, hot, smells like shit, filthy," he wrote.
In a 2012 exchange with Boris Nikolic, a former science adviser to Bill Gates, Epstein appeared to agree with Nikolic's complaints about being stranded in Delhi and Pune, where Nikolic described the locations as "filthy" and "in the middle of nowhere," adding that Epstein would "HATE it."
Epstein responded supportively, saying he "fully understand[s]" without apology needed. Another reported email from Epstein himself stated "Leaving India. HATE it," reinforcing his sentiment.
Norway’s Terje Rod-Larsen, also an Epstein friend, sent Epstein a racist email in 2015 stating: "Have you heard the saying: when you meet an Indian and a snake, kill the Indian first!"
Puri did not express regret, remorse, or issue an apology for his association with Epstein.
In contrast, other figures such as former IPI head Terje Rod-Larsen or Lawrence Summers have publicly apologised for their own links to Epstein in related coverage.
