US judge drops criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani

Justice department says it decided to abandon fraud and bribery case in which Adani Group has denied wrongdoing A US judge on ⁠Monday dismissed criminal charges against the Indian ⁠billionaire Gautam Adani, after ​the justice department said it had decided to abandon the fraud and bribery case. The Brooklyn-based district judge Nicholas Garaufis’s decision to grant federal prosecutors’ rare attempt to ⁠toss the case came after he inquired into their reasons for doing so, including by asking Adani whether anything was promised in exchange for the dropping of the case. In November 2024, before ⁠the charges were unsealed, Adani had promised to invest $10bn in the United States. Adani was charged in 2024 with agreeing ​to bribe Indian government officials so a subsidiary of ‌his Adani Group could win approval ‌to develop a solar energy plant, then misleading US investors by providing reassuring information about his company’s anti-corruption practices. Adani Group ‌has consistently denied wrongdoing. Adani himself has not appeared in US court to respond to the charges. On 18 May, the justice department announced it would no longer pursue the case. That marked the latest instance in whi