US JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES AGAINST BILLIONAIRE GAUTAM ADANI

A US judge formally dismissed criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Monday, ending proceedings in a fraud and bribery case that began in 2024. Brooklyn-based US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis granted the Justice Department's request to drop the case after inquiring into the reasons for doing so. The judge said he was satisfied that Adani's November 2024 pledge to invest $10 billion in the United States did not factor into the decision to dismiss the charges. Adani Group has consistently denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings.

Adani had been charged with agreeing to pay $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials to secure approval for his Adani Group subsidiary to develop a solar energy plant, and with misleading US investors about the company's anti-corruption practices. Adani himself did not appear in US court to respond to the charges. On 4 July, Trent McCotter, a senior Justice Department official, said the case was primarily foreign, difficult to prove and inconsistent with the agency's current priorities. Judge Garaufis raised concerns about the decision-making process, writing that McCotter had collaborated with Adani's defence lawyers seemingly without input from FBI and Securities Exchange Commission investigators or prosecutors who brought the case.

In a sworn declaration filed on 15 July, Adani stated he was not aware of any agreement exchanging anything for dismissal of the indictment. Adani said in a statement on social media that he welcomed the court's decision "with humility and deep respect for the judicial process". The judge described irregularities in the dismissal decision as concerning, though he found no evidence the investment pledge influenced the outcome. Legal experts have noted that US judges have limited discretion to compel prosecutors to continue cases they no longer wish to pursue, but formal dismissal requires judicial approval.