Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani received relief in the US on Monday after a federal court dismissed a criminal case accusing him and other defendants of bribery and fraud.
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn granted a motion to dismiss the case, bringing an end to proceedings against Adani and the other accused.
Adani was indicted in 2024 over allegations that he had agreed to bribe Indian government officials to secure approvals for an Adani Group subsidiary to develop a solar power project. The Adani Group has consistently denied the allegations.
Following the court’s decision, Adani welcomed the ruling in a post on X, saying he received it “with humility and deep respect for the judicial process.”
Adani denied knowledge of alleged agreement
In an affidavit filed in court on July 15, Adani said he had no knowledge of any such agreement. He also acknowledged that he had previously pledged to invest $10 billion in the US.
According to the affidavit, Adani said his lawyers had told the US Justice Department during meetings that the investment commitment could potentially form part of a resolution to the cases.
US Justice Department had sought to drop case
The US Justice Department had announced on May 18 that it would no longer pursue the matter. However, the charges could only be formally dismissed after approval from a judge.
Adani built business empire after leaving school
Gautam Adani began his career in commodity trading in 1988 after leaving school at the age of 16 in Gujarat. Over the following decades, he expanded the Adani Group into ports, airports, mining, power generation and transmission, logistics and other infrastructure sectors.
