Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri acknowledges meeting Jeffrey Epstein after Rahul Gandhi raises issue in Lok Sabha

Allegations have surfaced linking Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after the US Department of Justice released email exchanges between them. The issue was raised by Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, prompting a response from the Union Minister, who later addressed the matter at a press conference.

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Puri acknowledged that he had met Epstein. "My boss at the IPI, Terje Rød-Larsen, knew Epstein, and I met him only on a few occasions—three or, at most, four times—as part of a delegation. Our interactions had nothing to do with the crimes he is accused of," he said, dismissing Rahul Gandhi’s allegations as “baseless” and politically motivated.

Emails released by US Department of Justice

On January 30, the US Department of Justice made public several documents and emails related to Epstein. Hardeep Singh Puri’s name appeared in those records. According to the documents, he had contact with Epstein between 2014 and 2017.

During the period mentioned in the documents, Puri was not holding any government office. He joined the BJP in 2014 and became a Union Minister in 2017. He stated that he had met Epstein in his capacity as a representative of the International Peace Institute and claimed he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal background at the time.

Minister denies wrongdoing, targets Rahul Gandhi

The Union Minister said his primary contact in those interactions was LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, whom he had invited to invest in India. "I had no interest in Epstein’s activities. For them, I was not the ‘right person’… Epstein called me two-faced. Rahul should read the emails," Puri said.

He also countered Rahul Gandhi’s remarks by stating, "The Epstein files, Rahul Gandhi should know, are about criminal offences—charges that Epstein had an island where people were taken to indulge in sexual exploitation, including allegations of paedophilia. Victims have brought cases against people in positions of authority. My interaction has nothing to do with this."

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Epstein had faced multiple charges, including sexual abuse, rape, and trafficking of minors. Around 40 women had publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. He was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison. However, he died by suicide in jail in 2019.

A woman named Virginia Giuffre had provided detailed testimony in court about individuals who had associations with Epstein. Those documents reportedly include names of several global public figures, including Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Donald Trump. The authenticity and context of all such references in the released documents have not been independently verified.