- Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri clarified his past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein following allegations
- Puri denied knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct during their meetings in 2014-2015
- He met Epstein three or four times as part of delegations linked to the International Peace Institute
Hardeep Singh Puri, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, issued a clarification on his past interactions with the disgraced American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following allegations raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that the Union Minister's name figures in documents linked to Epstein released in the United States.
In an interview with NDTV, Puri addressed a series of questions relating to emails exchanged in 2014 and 2015, including one in which he referred to an "exotic island" and another in which he wrote "have fun" in response to Epstein.
He denied any knowledge at the time of the full extent of Epstein's criminal conduct and rejected suggestions that his correspondence indicated complicity or impropriety.
'I Did Not Know Who He Was'
Asked whether he was aware of Epstein's history when he first met him, Puri said, "No, I did not."
He explained that when he first went to a meeting where Epstein was present, he did not know who he was. "On the first meeting, we Googled him," Puri told NDTV. "Then we also had a discussion amongst ourselves, should we meet him or not?"
The visit, he said, was undertaken as part of a delegation connected to the International Peace Institute (IPI).
"Going as part of a delegation... the only substantive interaction is this one," he said, referring to an October 2014 email exchange. He stressed that he did not want to appear defensive, noting that in public life he meets a wide range of individuals, some of whom may have prior convictions.
"By the way, I don't want to be defensive on it. I meet a lot of people in my life. Many of the people I interact with at the political level have been convicted of something. Yesterday, somebody was talking to me about somebody who was convicted of organ trading," Puri told NDTV.
"In politics or in public life, if I were a government official, I would have sent a message to somebody saying, 'Should I meet this person?'" he said. But at the time, he explained, he was working with the IPI, and specifically as Secretary General of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM), a project under the IPI.
The ICM, Puri said, had been established to examine whether the United Nations was "fit for purpose" as it approached its 75th anniversary. The commission included internationally recognised figures, including a former Prime Minister of Australia as chair and board members who later went on to hold senior public office, including a presidency.
"We were trying to look at the world. We didn't invite Epstein there," Puri said. The meeting with Epstein, he said, occurred in that broader context and was not part of the commission's core work.
According to Puri, he met Epstein "on a few occasions, three or maximum four," as part of delegations connected to the IPI or ICM. He said that Epstein was not a member of the commission and that the ICM dealt with international issues unrelated to Epstein.
The "Exotic Island" Email
A December 2014 email exchange between Puri and Epstein has drawn particular scrutiny. In one message, Puri wrote seasonal greetings and asked Epstein to let him know when he was back from his "exotic" location.
"Dear Jeff, seasons greetings. Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island. I would like to come across for a chat, apart from giving you some books to=xcite (sic) an interest in India. Warmly, Hardeep," Puri's email to Epstein read.
Puri explained that the phrase was one he used casually. "I have an expression I use with everybody," he said. "I have some people who are well-to-do people. Which exotic place are you in?"
He said there should be no inference drawn from the phrase. "Don't read any meaning into that," he said. He added that the email referred to an upcoming discussion.
When Epstein responded, Puri replied with the words: "Give me a shout when you are back. And, have fun. Not that you require encouragement from others for that.'
Asked about the phrase "have fun," Puri said that by 2014-15 he was aware of allegations surrounding Epstein but did not know the full extent of what later came to light.
"He's not a personal acquaintance of mine," Puri said. "I've never been to that island, he's never been to my house." He added that the reference in the email chain was in connection with Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, whom Puri described as "one of the most respectable people in the world."
