Gautam Adani's lawyers have asked a US judge to formally dismiss criminal charges against him.
The request follows the US Justice Department's decision last month to stop pursuing the case.
The proceedings stem from allegations linked to solar power contracts in India, which Adani Group has consistently denied.
Adani Lawyers Push for Full Dismissal of US Criminal Proceedings
Lawyers say the case falls outside US jurisdiction after the Department of Justice decided to drop criminal prosecution in the long-running Adani bribery allegations
Summary
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Lawyers for Gautam Adani have urged a US court to formally dismiss criminal charges against the Indian billionaire after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said last month it would no longer pursue the prosecution.
According to Reuters, Adani’s lawyer Robert Giuffra submitted a letter to US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn, arguing that the case should be dismissed because it falls outside US jurisdiction and because prosecutors would not be able to prove the alleged bribery in India.
The judge must approve the dismissal before the criminal case can be formally closed. Adani Group has consistently denied all allegations.
Defence Seeks Closure of Case
In his letter to the court, Giuffra said the DOJ’s decision to drop the indictment followed months of discussions and meetings between government officials and defence lawyers representing Adani and co-defendants.
Adani was charged in 2024 over allegations that he agreed to pay bribes to Indian government officials to help an Adani Group subsidiary secure approvals for a solar power project.
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US prosecutors also alleged that investors were misled through statements regarding the company’s anti-corruption practices. The Adani Group has rejected all allegations and called them baseless.
The latest filing seeks formal closure of the criminal proceedings, subject to approval by Judge Garaufis.
How the Case Unfolded
The case emerged from a wider US investigation into renewable energy projects linked to Adani Group. In 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission accused the Adanis of paying bribes to Indian officials to secure high-profile renewable energy contracts and of misleading US investors about anti-bribery practices while raising $750 million, including around $175 million from US investors, through a bond offering. The Adani Group called the allegations "baseless."
Then, in May 2026, Gautam and Sagar Adani agreed to pay a combined $18 million to settle the civil fraud lawsuit. The proposed settlement does not include any admission or denial of the allegations and bars the Adanis from future violations of US anti-fraud laws covering investor deception, securities fraud and market manipulation.
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Separately, Adani Enterprises agreed to pay $275 million to the US Treasury to settle an investigation into alleged violations of sanctions on Iran.
On the criminal side, the US Department of Justice, which had in 2024 registered fraud charges against Adani and several company officials over the same bribery allegations, filed a motion to dismiss all charges with prejudice. Adani Green Energy said in a regulatory filing in May 2026 that the US District Court in the Eastern District of New York had ordered the case dismissed.
The move followed Adani hiring a new legal team led by Robert J Giuffra Jr, head of one of the most powerful law firms in the US and a personal legal adviser to President Donald Trump, The New York Times had reported. Giuffra reportedly met with justice department officials to present concerns about the case.