The Justice Department filed court papers on Saturday asking a federal judge to dismiss, with prejudice, all criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and other defendants, arguing the indictment is predominately foreign and unlikely to succeed at trial.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis had previously ordered prosecutors to explain their decision to seek dismissal after Biden-era prosecutors charged Adani with securities fraud and wire fraud related to an alleged bribery scheme. In a 10-page filing, the Justice Department set out its rationale for asking the court to end the case.
In the filing, the department portrays the earlier indictment as having been initiated by prosecutors under the prior administration and characterized it as lacking a realistic path to trial. The document states that "the indictment was unsealed in the final days of the prior Administration, apparently as a 'name and shame' designed to levy accusations without any realistic prospect of a trial ever occurring."
Central to the Justice Department's argument is that the matters alleged in the indictment are foreign in scope and do not involve U.S. companies, criminal organizations, or national security interests. The filing emphasizes that the alleged payments were "made by Indian nationals, working for Indian companies, to the Indian government, with no U.S. interests implicated in any way."
The underlying charges, filed in 2024, accuse Adani of agreeing to bribe Indian government officials so that a subsidiary of his Adani Group could secure approval to build a solar energy plant. Prosecutors also alleged that Adani misled U.S. investors by providing reassuring information about his company's anti-corruption practices.
Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and Adani himself has not appeared in U.S. court to respond to the charges.
The department's bid to drop the case marks another recent instance in which the Justice Department has sought to end a high-profile white-collar criminal prosecution during President Donald Trump's second term. Legal experts cited in court filings note that judges typically have limited authority to force prosecutors to continue criminal cases they no longer wish to pursue. Nevertheless, the charges remain pending until Judge Garaufis signs an order dismissing them.
The submission to the court framed the prosecution as misaligned with current prosecutorial priorities and questioned the appropriateness of pursuing a primarily foreign dispute through U.S. criminal statutes given the lack of U.S. corporate or national security connections.
Legal status
- The Justice Department has asked for dismissal with prejudice, which, if granted, would prevent the government from re-filing the same charges.
- Charges remain active until the court formally enters an order dismissing them.
Parties' positions
- The Justice Department argues the case is foreign in nature and weak on its merits, based on a 10-page filing explaining the motion to dismiss.
- Adani Group has denied wrongdoing, and Adani has not appeared in U.S. court to answer the allegations.
This filing concludes the department's public explanation for seeking to end the prosecution while the ultimate procedural outcome rests with the court.