Federal prosecutors moved Monday to dismiss fraud and conspiracy charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani in a major reversal of one of the highest-profile international corporate corruption cases pursued by the Biden administration.
The Justice Department filing in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, asked a judge to permanently dismiss the indictment against Adani and several associates, including Sagar Adani, his nephew, who had been accused in late 2024 of orchestrating a bribery and securities fraud scheme tied to massive solar energy contracts in India.
“The Department of Justice has reviewed this case and has decided, in its prosecutorial discretion, not to devote further resources to these criminal charges against individual defendants,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.
The dismissal request still requires the approval of U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis.
The filing was signed by senior DOJ officials and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, but not by the line prosecutors who had worked directly on the case, a notable omission that could signal internal disagreement over the decision.
The move came hours after the Treasury Department announced a separate $275 million settlement with Adani Enterprises over what officials described as “32 apparent violations” of U.S. sanctions on Iran tied to liquefied petroleum gas imports routed through intermediaries.
According to Treasury officials, Adani Enterprises purchased shipments between 2023 and 2025 through a Dubai-based supplier that claimed the fuel originated in Oman and Iraq, despite what investigators described as warning signs the gas actually came from Iran.
Federal prosecutors had alleged in a sweeping 2024 indictment that Adani and other executives participated in “a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from U.S. investors and global financial institutions on the basis of false and misleading statements.”
DOJ alleged the defendants paid more than $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts projected to generate billions in profits, then concealed the alleged bribery while raising money from U.S. investors.
Adani Group repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called the allegations baseless.
The billionaire’s legal team from Sullivan & Cromwell includes Robert Giuffra Jr. and James McDonald, both attorneys linked to President Donald Trump’s legal defense team.
Sources reported Adani’s attorneys argued the government lacked jurisdiction and sufficient evidence to sustain the charges.
The case had become a major test of U.S. anti-corruption enforcement against foreign corporate executives.
The DOJ’s move also echoes its decision last year to abandon the corruption prosecution of then-New York Mayor Eric Adams, a deal that prompted resignations from federal prosecutors who warned the dismissal created the appearance of political favoritism.
Legal analysts say the Adani decision reflects a broader shift under Trump’s administration away from the aggressive corporate enforcement posture pursued during Joe Biden’s presidency.
The Securities and Exchange Commission separately reached an $18 million civil settlement with Adani and his nephew last week without any admission of wrongdoing.
If approved by the court, the dismissal would permanently close the criminal case against Adani.
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
