- Judge Nicholas Garaufis allowed the Justice Department's motion and dismissed the charges with prejudice, permanently closing the criminal proceedings and barring the charges from being refiled.
- Trump administration moved to dismiss the charges, citing jurisdictional and evidentiary challenges and calling the case a politically motivated 'name and shame' exercise.
- Indictment was unsealed in November 2024 during the closing weeks of the Biden administration, but the DoJ stated it had little realistic prospect of proceeding to trial.
- Judge Garaufis acknowledged that his role in reviewing federal prosecutors' decisions to drop charges was limited and stated that Adani's promise to invest USD 10 billion in the United States did not factor into the Justice Department's decision.
- SEC's separate civil action against Gautam Adani has been resolved, requiring him to pay a USD 6 million civil penalty to the SEC within 30 days, under which he consented to the order without admitting the allegations.
A US District Court has dismissed criminal charges against Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani, following a motion from the Justice Department. The case, which included allegations of securities fraud and bribery, was initiated in November 2024, claiming the Adani Group conspired to pay USD 250 million in bribes to secure solar contracts.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis allowed the dismissal after questioning the Justice Department's rationale for dropping the case. He noted that the indictment, unsealed during the previous administration, faced significant jurisdictional challenges and lacked a realistic prospect of proceeding to trial.13
The Adani Group has consistently denied the allegations, labeling them as baseless. The SEC's civil action against Gautam Adani was also resolved, requiring him to pay a USD 6 million penalty without admitting to the allegations.56
The Justice Department's motion emphasized that continuing the prosecution did not serve justice, citing the predominantly Indian nature of the alleged conduct and the absence of identified investor losses. Garaufis confirmed that Adani's promise to invest USD 10 billion in the US did not influence the decision to dismiss the charges.4
“The dismissal with prejudice permanently closes the case, but the SEC's civil action was resolved with Adani paying a $6 million penalty. The Trump administration argued the indictment was a politically motivated 'name and shame' exercise from the Biden era.”
