Lawyers for Gautam Adani filed a request on Wednesday asking a Brooklyn-based federal judge to enter an order dismissing criminal charges against the Indian tycoon, after the U.S. Department of Justice notified parties last month that it would no longer pursue the prosecution.
The 2024 indictment accused Adani of agreeing to bribe Indian government officials so that a subsidiary of his Adani Group could secure approval to develop a solar plant. Prosecutors also alleged he misled U.S. investors by providing assurances about his company s anti-corruption controls. Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
In a letter submitted to U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, defense attorney Robert Giuffra argued the court should formally dismiss the criminal case on two primary bases: that the matters alleged are beyond the reach of U.S. law, and that prosecutors would be unable to prove the alleged bribery occurred in India. Giuffra noted the Justice Department s decision to drop the indictment came after what he described as "months of detailed and extensive communications and meetings with counsel" for Adani and his co-defendants.
The judge's signature is required to effect the dismissal; until Garaufis signs off, the formal court record will still reflect the outstanding criminal charges.
Giuffra's letter also urged the court to dismiss parallel civil charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, referring to the SEC s settlement in which Gautam Adani agreed to pay $6 million and his nephew, Sagar Adani, agreed to pay $12 million. Those civil matters were negotiated separately between the parties and the regulator.
Separately, Adani Enterprises Limited has reached a settlement with the U.S. Treasury Department, agreeing to pay $275 million to resolve alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran. That settlement is distinct from the criminal case that defense counsel asked the judge to dismiss.
For now, the court must take the defense filing under consideration and determine whether to enter dismissal orders for the criminal indictment and any related civil claims, in light of the Justice Department s prior decision to discontinue the prosecution.