Lawyers representing Indian billionaire Gautam Adani have urged a U.S. judge to formally dismiss criminal charges against him after the U.S. Department of Justice announced last month that it would no longer pursue the case.
Adani was charged in 2024 with allegedly agreeing to bribe Indian government officials to secure approval for a solar power project being developed by a subsidiary of the Adani Group. Prosecutors had also accused him of misleading U.S. investors by providing assurances regarding the company's anti-corruption practices.
In a letter submitted to Brooklyn-based U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, Adani's lawyer Robert Giuffra argued that the case should be dismissed because it fell outside the jurisdiction of U.S. law and because prosecutors would be unable to prove the alleged bribery scheme in India.
The Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Although the Justice Department has indicated it will not proceed with the prosecution, the charges cannot be formally dropped without approval from Judge Garaufis.
Giuffra wrote that the Justice Department's decision to abandon the indictment followed "months of detailed and extensive communications and meetings with counsel" for Adani and his co-defendants.
The lawyer also requested that Garaufis formally dismiss related civil charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The request comes after the regulator reached a settlement under which Adani agreed to pay $6 million, while his nephew Sagar Adani agreed to pay $12 million.
Separately, Adani Enterprises Limited has agreed to pay $275 million to the U.S. Treasury Department to resolve allegations that it violated Iran sanctions.