Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has scored a major legal victory in the United States after a federal judge dismissed a high-profile bribery and fraud case against him.
Brooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis on Monday formally approved the US government’s request to drop the charges, bringing an end to a case that had placed one of India’s richest businessmen at the centre of an international corruption scandal.
The case, filed in 2024, accused Adani and associates of taking part in an alleged $265 million bribery scheme involving Indian officials.
US prosecutors had alleged that the payments were intended to help secure lucrative contracts connected to solar energy projects in India.
The dismissal followed a decision by the Donald Trump administration to abandon the prosecution.
Judge Raises Eyebrows Over Adani Case Dismissal
Although Judge Garaufis approved the dismissal, he sharply criticised the manner in which the US government handled the case.
The judge said Trump-appointed Deputy Associate Attorney General Trent McCotter appeared to have made the decision largely in cooperation with Adani’s defence team.
According to the judge, the process appeared to take place without meaningful input from FBI and Securities and Exchange Commission officials who had investigated the allegations.
He also pointed to the absence of prosecutors who had originally pursued the case.
Garaufis described the circumstances as highly unusual, raising questions about how the Justice Department arrived at its decision.
Did $10 Billion US Investment Play a Role?
The dismissal also comes amid reports of a potentially huge investment commitment by Adani.
According to US media reports, Adani’s lawyer Robert Giuffra told Justice Department officials in April that the Indian billionaire would be willing to invest $10 billion in the US economy if the charges were dropped.
Giuffra is also a personal lawyer for President Trump.
The reported investment pledge prompted Judge Garaufis to question whether it had influenced the government’s decision to abandon the prosecution.
However, the judge ultimately determined that the proposed investment was not a factor in the prosecutors’ decision-making.
Gautam Adani Breaks Silence
Following the dismissal, Adani welcomed the court’s decision and said he respected the US judicial process.
The billionaire said his faith in truth, fairness and the rule of law had remained unwavering throughout the legal battle.
The case had posed a serious challenge to Adani, whose sprawling business empire has interests in ports, power generation, infrastructure, cement and media.
Adani’s Troubled Recent Years
The dismissal comes after several difficult years for Adani and his business empire.
The billionaire was rocked by allegations of corporate fraud and a massive stock-market sell-off that erased billions of dollars from the value of companies associated with his group.
Adani has consistently rejected allegations of wrongdoing.
He is also a prominent supporter of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comes from Gujarat, the prime minister’s home state.
His close political and business connections have made him one of India’s most closely watched corporate figures.
What the Adani Case Means
The dismissal removes a major legal threat facing Adani in the United States.
However, Judge Garaufis’ criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of the case is likely to fuel further debate over why prosecutors abandoned the charges and how the decision was reached.
For Adani, the ruling represents a significant relief as he continues expanding one of India’s biggest business empires.