Note: The documents relied upon in this story are here
The latest tranche of the Jeffrey Epstein files released in America cast new light on the connections that the late financial advisor and convicted sex offender had to Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani. The files show that Epstein and Anil Ambani communicated regularly between 2017-19.
The records show Anil Ambani positioning himself to be a backchannel for the Modi government, though it’s unclear if he had any such authority. It also shows Epstein communicating with different stakeholders, lobbying for American and Indian governments to work together.
The late Jeffrey Epstein was a New York-based financial advisor, socialite, lobbyist, and fixer. He also was a convicted sex offender. He died by suicide in a New York prison in August 2019 after his arrest over allegations that he sex trafficked minors for his network of the rich and powerful of the world. Millions of documents recovered by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation from his estate during investigations into these allegations have been released by the US government’s Department of Justice in tranches, after the US Congress forced the government’s hand by passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act late last year.
Anil Ambani and Epstein, the documents show, were regularly in touch and pursued an independent business relationship. Anil sought Epstein’s help expanding his defence business, including securing a connection with former Israeli PM and Defence Minister Ehud Barak. Epstein extended his phone book for Anil’s benefit, making strategic connections to businesspersons, diplomats, and US government insiders. When Anil Ambani faced an insolvency ruling in 2019, he sought Epstein’s advice on how to raise a personal loan of USD 750 million in a “bankruptcy proof” arrangement.
Their equation was informal and friendly, with Epstein penning a letter of tribute to Ambani’s mother and promising to help Ambani’s son in New York.
The following is a detailed account of Epstein’s dealings with Anil, based on the Epstein Files. We have reached out to Anil Ambani and Reliance Group spokespersons and to spokespersons for the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of External Affairs for comment, and this story will be updated when we receive a response.
The introduction amid Ambani’s defence spree
Anil Ambani appears to have been introduced to Epstein in early 2017 by Emirati businessman Sultan bin Sulayem, who heads DP World, one of the world’s largest shipping companies. According to the files, Sulayem was a close associate and confidante of Epstein, with their relationship spanning nearly a decade before Epstein’s death.
On February 20, 2017, Anil Ambani makes his first appearance in the files, with Epstein asking Sulayem, “does ambani want fish,” to be told in response “he is vegetarian no flesh of any kind (:”
Then, Epstein reached out to Indian-American author Deepak Chopra, asking him whether he knew Anil. Chopra replies that he does, and Epstein replies that he is meeting Anil the following day and asks Chopra about him: “Thoughts, insights?!”
Chopra’s reply described them as extremely wealthy and keen to be seen, with a strong focus on celebrity culture. He said that Anil's brother (Mukesh) had spent USD 2 billion building a home in Mumbai and that together the two brothers formed the richest family in India. Chopra added that the brothers did not get along.
Two days later, on February 22, 2017, Epstein likely met Anil in France.
Anil had met French president Francois Hollande in Paris, and Epstein’s emails show that he too was in France at the time.
On the morning of February 23, Epstein reached out to Anil after receiving his contact information from Sulayem.
Epstein opens saying, “I sent an email telling you how happy I was to meet another member of sultans family :)” Ambani responds, “Thanks. Enjoyed mtng u. Will learn a lot from u.” Epstein replies “and me from u.”
Then it is straight to business — and specifically, the defence business. Epstein writes on February 23, “in the email I sent you Ehud Baraks contact details. In my experience, a level above the rest. I personally don’t get near defense business in any form.”
Ehud Barak was Israel’s Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001 and defence minister from 2007 to 2013.
The defence business was on the top of Anil’s mind at the time. His companies had announced a series of deals in the sector just days prior.
A week earlier, on 16 February, Anil’s Reliance group and French manufacturer Dassault announced that they had formed a joint venture company, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited. This company would manufacture parts for 36 Dassault aircraft that India had agreed to purchase from France in 2016—the infamous Rafale deal that led to widespread controversy in subsequent years.
His companies also signed various other defence deals, including a contract to repair and maintain 100 US Navy ships of its Seventh Fleet and an MoU with UAE-based Strata. By March 1, Anil was saying that defence will be his group’s biggest business.
First liaison with Donald Trump
On March 2, 2017, Anil reached out to Epstein.
He explained to Epstein that he would need the latter’s help dealing with the White House, where newly elected US President Donald Trump had taken charge two months prior. His request was not just for his own business interests, and instead said “will need ur guidance on dealing wth white house for india relationship and defense cooperation,” invoking India’s interests.
Epstein responds with clarity: “interesting. remember, what are you willing to GIVE. ? no ideology needed. tit for tat”
Anil’s response was broad: “Indian market whatever works!”
Epstein responds, “i will get some inside baseball for you.”
The next day, March 3, Epstein advised Anil to install the Signal messenger for secure messaging. But they continued to communicate on regular SMS.
On March 4, Epstein implied that he was with President Trump, who was playing golf in Palm Beach, Florida, and sent a message to Anil saying that he has got a “full download” apparently from Trump’s team. Epstein conveyed the inputs to Anil, saying that his focus on defence was ‘perfect’.
Who will be the ambassador?
On the morning of March 9, Anil reached out again. This time he had a direct ask: “can david petreaus be amb to India?” David Petraeus is a retired general of the US Army who led key operations in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He also headed the US’ Central Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration.
Epstein replied that he would ask. However, it was unlikely, he said, adding that “for the moment leaking is going to get frontburner.” Just two days previously, Wikileaks had published Vault 7.
The conversation between Ambani and Epstein went on for the next few days, with Anil saying he didn’t prefer academic and strategic expert Ashley Tellis. The Washington Post had reported in January 2017 that Trump was close to appointing him the US Ambassador to India. He insisted that the appointment was important ‘for me’ and claimed David Petraeus would deal tough with India’s neighbours like Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The two did not discuss the ambassador appointment afterwards. No one was appointed US Ambassador to India until November 2017, when Kenneth Juster took the role.
More requests from “leadership”
On March 16, Anil returned with another set of requests from Delhi.
“Hello. Was in delhi,” he writes. “Leadership wld like ur help for me to meet jared and bannon asap. Pl advise. Likely visit to dc by pm in may to meet donald. Also assitance on that.”
Jared Kushner is Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Bannon is a far-right ideologue and former editor of the website Breitbart. He was close to Trump at the time, having been appointed White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counsellor.
In his response, Epstein essentially shut down the request diplomatically, saying Kushner and Bannon were meeting too many people each day and there was hardly any follow up.
Instead, he diverted Anil to meet Tom Barrack, a long-time friend and advisor of Trump’s, who had chaired Trump’s inauguration committee but had not been given a role in the administration.
Though Anil Ambani had positioned himself as the backchannel, he seems to have been caught unaware of the White House’s announcement regarding Modi’s impending visit.
On March 29, he wrote, “The white hse announced yday pm modis trip to dc. Can u tell me whn and the dates ? Thanks.”
Epstein replied that that trip, he was told, was ‘part of Israel strategy.”
In the first week of July, Narendra Modi visited Israel, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so.
In a separate correspondence in July with an individual apparently from Qatar, who is only identified in the documents as “Jabor Y.” Epstein wrote about the meeting.
“The Indian Prime minisiter 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.”
Reacting to the Epstein files, the Ministry of External Affairs said on January 31, “Beyond the fact of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt.”
An offer to help
On February 19, 2019 the Supreme Court held Anil Ambani and two other directors of his company, Reliance Communications, in contempt. They were ordered to pay Rs. 453 crore to Swedish mobile phone maker Ericsson in four weeks or face jail. Even though his brother Mukesh bailed out Ambani on this payment, this case marked the beginning of a series of legal setbacks for him that saw him declare bankruptcy the following year before a British court.
In the midst of this, Epstein reached out to Anil with words of support. On 11 March, Epstein wrote to him, “Stay mentally strong. Make sure you get enough sleep. I’ve advised many friends in similar circumstances. Good luck.”
He continued to check in on Ambani over the next few days, asking if he was feeling any better and if he needed help. He offered to set up meetings for Anil in New York, and then, Anil asked if Epstein could help arrange a loan, as he was trying to raise USD 750 million.
Essentially, Anil asked for Epstein’s help in setting up a company structure to veil a personal loan for him against a pledge of shares of Ambani’s listed companies, and Epstein advised him against it.
The conversation continued. Anil asked for suggestions on an investment bank or investor group to talk to, and Epstein gently cut off the idea again. Epstein instead suggested a route that would avoid a huge tax bill and a need for disclosure.
It was in this context that Anil and Epstein were set to meet in May in the US. On May 2, in an email to Anil, Epstein asked to meet on May 23 and was still offering financial advice: “I think you may want to create a structured product that a swiss bank can sell to its clients. otherwise regulations will overwhelm you in the states. . I will devote as much time as needed on the 23. again only as a friend.”
In response, Anil Ambani wrote, “Transaction done. Will come to say Hello and have coffee.” It is unclear what transaction this message refers to.
It was this meet over coffee on May 23, that Epstein sought to spin as a meeting with “Modi’s man” to Steve Bannon.
“Modi’s man”
In a message to Steve Bannon, on May 19, 2019, Epstein says, “modi sending someone to see me on thurs.”
That Thursday, May 23, Epstein was scheduled to meet Anil Ambani in New York. His calendar for that day, which Epstein has sent to his assistant in a separate email, shows no other meeting.
After the meeting with Anil, Epstein updated Bannon: “really interesting modi meeting. He won [the 2019 Lok Sabha elections] with HUGE mandate. His guy said that no one in wash speaks to him however his main enemy is CHINA! And their proxy in the region pakistan. They will host the g20 in 22.. Totally buys into your vision.”
Bannon replies, “I’m doing a one hour show for India on Modi while here- bringing American Hindu guys with us.”
The “one hour show” seems to have been a reference to a television interview Steve Bannon did with news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary for WION about Modi’s election victory. At the time, Bannon was camped in Europe, trying to help right-wing populist parties win elections in Italy, France and Germany. The “American Hindu” reference appears to be to Shalabh Kumar, a prominent Hindutva activist in the US, who appeared in the WION interview along with Bannon.
Epstein continues about Modi, “his focus wants to be stopping china. I can set. You should meet with modi.” Bannon replies, “Please.” A few hours later he adds, “my guy [Anil] said to tell you that you are missing a great opportunity. Look at your underwear. It either says made in china or made in india. . how is it possible that you guys don’t understand shared goals. Modi inauguration on sunday.”
Simultaneously, Epstein was texting with Anil: “I think mr modi might enjoy meeting steve bannon , you all share the china problem.” Ambani replied, “sure.” Epstein seems to have taken this as a yes on behalf of Modi and reported to Bannon “modi on board.”
It is not clear if Anil, at this stage, had any authority to confirm a meeting with Bannon on Modi’s behalf. Epstein, however, sought to create an impression for Bannon that his meeting with Anil was with “Modi’s man”.
This is partly because both men’s circumstances had changed considerably, as the Modi and Trump administrations had presumably found more direct ways to communicate.
The widespread scandal over the sex trafficking allegations had broken around Epstein already; he was two months away from being arrested and three months away from death by suicide.
Anil Ambani, meanwhile, was facing his own storm — political allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal from the opposition led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and mounting legal troubles. In fact, his troubles had featured in his correspondence with Epstein as well.
A fixer-client relationship with the Epstein stink
Amidst the state matters that Anil and Epstein discussed, the two also spoke on a range of other subjects, in conversations where Epstein sought to build rapport and cultivate Anil as a potential client. Starting from Ehud Barak, Epstein repeatedly sought to make connections for Anil.
These included Peter Thiel, cofounder of fintech PayPal, defence contractor Palantir, tech investor, and ideologue for the American far right. Epstein made overtures in both directions, telling Anil and Thiel that they should meet each other. He did the same with Tom Pritzker, the billionaire owner of the Hyatt hotel chain, whom Epstein called “one of the family.”
Epstein also recommended Anil meet US diplomat and former CIA director Bill Burns, who headed the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Anil did in fact meet him in Mumbai in the first week of April 2017.
Epstein also put Anil in touch with Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, a key figure in the negotiations for the 1993 Oslo accords between Israel and Palestine and a close associate and friend of Epstein’s. In another conversation he offered a private dinner for Anil with the “head of NATO” that Epstein would “organise, but not attend,” saying that he will “talk more in Paris.”
There was also a personal touch in Epstein’s approach. He had Anil send him a copy of his mother Kokilaben Ambani’s book on Dhirubhai Ambani. Epstein then wrote a letter of tribute to her which he asked Anil to pass on. He also offered to look out for Anil Ambani’s son, who was studying in New York then.
In their very first text exchange on 23rd February 2017, Epstein invited Anil to his island — “you are welcome in the caribbean . on my island , just give me dates.” “Will plan with sultan,” Anil responded. Later emails however don’t indicate any such visit made by Anil Ambani.
Editor’s note: The conversations here have been reproduced verbatim. It has not been edited for grammar.