A US judge has thrown out criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, concluding a prominent bribery and fraud case involving one of India’s wealthiest businessmen.
In 2024, Adani faced allegations of paying bribes to Indian officials to secure major renewable energy projects and of deceiving U.S. investors about these activities. Adani and his affiliated companies have repeatedly denied any misconduct.
Adani has praised the court’s ruling on X, stating that he accepts the decision with humility and profound respect for the judicial process.
In a 47-page decision released Monday, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis approved the Justice Department's request to drop the charges against Adani.
However, the judge strongly criticized the way the decision was reached.
He asserted that R Trent McCotter, the principal associate deputy attorney general, worked with Adani's legal team on securing the dismissal without seeking input from the prosecutors and investigators in charge of the case.
Judge Garaufis described the process as "highly unusual," noting that McCotter appeared to substitute his own judgment for that of the officials directly overseeing the investigation.
In May, the Justice Department requested that the charges be dropped, contending that much of the alleged misconduct occurred outside the United States, which made the case challenging to pursue, and that continuing the prosecution no longer matched the department’s priorities.
The request came after Adani hired a new legal team led by Robert J. Giuffra Jr., co-chair of the US law firm Sullivan & Cromwell and personal lawyer to President Donald Trump.
Judge Garaufis initially opposed the government’s request. In June, he found its justification for dropping the prosecution inadequate and directed officials to submit additional information.
He also questioned whether Adani’s pledge to invest $10bn (₹ 95,347 Cr) in the United States and create 15,000 jobs had an impact on the decision.
Adani revealed the investment in November 2024 in a post congratulating Donald Trump on his election win. Subsequent reports indicated that Adani's legal team mentioned the investment during talks with the Justice Department regarding the case.
Adani's legal team stated that the investment was not proposed as a condition for withdrawing the charges.
Judge Garaufis ultimately determined that it did not affect the Justice Department’s decision.
However, he noted that the public is free to reach its own conclusions about how such conversations might shape views on equal justice and the rule of law.
The judge further determined that McCotter’s choice seemed to be made without substantial input from the prosecutors who filed the case or from investigators at the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“The irregularities surrounding the decision to dismiss the indictment are troubling,” Garaufis wrote.
The case against Adani was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be filed again.
Adani, who was absent from all hearings in the US court during the case, welcomed the ruling.
The criminal case is distinct from other U.S. legal actions related to Adani and his companies.
In May, Adani consented to pay $6m and his nephew, Sagar Adani, agreed to pay $12m to resolve Securities and Exchange Commission claims concerning investor disclosures, without admitting or denying any misconduct.
In a separate agreement, Adani Enterprises, the conglomerate’s flagship firm, committed to pay $275m to settle potential civil liability stemming from apparent breaches of US sanctions on Iran.