Judge presses Justice Department on dropped Adani prosecution
A federal judge gave prosecutors until July 13 to explain why they moved to abandon criminal charges against Gautam Adani.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
A federal judge in Brooklyn has ordered the US Justice Department to explain why it wants to drop criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. The order keeps judicial scrutiny on a politically sensitive case that prosecutors moved to abandon after Adani pledged $10bn in US investment, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said prosecutors had not given the court enough information to assess their request, according to a written ruling entered on the court docket Wednesday and reported by Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. He set a July 13 deadline for the government to submit more details.
Garaufis wrote that the Justice Department’s brief notice offered neither a sufficient basis for the court to reach a conclusion nor enough detail for meaningful review, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
The judge’s order came after Adani’s lawyers asked him on Wednesday to formally dismiss the case. The Justice Department had said a month earlier that it no longer intended to pursue the prosecution, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
Charges dated to 2024
US authorities charged Adani in 2024 over allegations that he agreed to bribe Indian government officials to win a contract to build a solar power plant, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. The case also included allegations that Adani’s company misled US investors about its anti-corruption practices.
Adani has denied wrongdoing, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index lists him as the world’s 17th-richest person, Al Jazeera reported.
Robert Giuffra, a lawyer for Adani, pointed to a letter he sent Garaufis on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. In that letter, Giuffra argued the case should be dismissed because it fell outside the reach of US law and because prosecutors could not prove the alleged bribery in India.
Political ties draw attention
The Justice Department’s May decision to drop the case followed Adani’s hiring of Giuffra, who is also one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
Another member of Adani’s legal team, James McDonald, has been selected by Trump to serve as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Al Jazeera reported. McDonald was also part of the team representing Adani when the Justice Department moved to end the case, which was originally brought under President Joe Biden, according to Al Jazeera.
Bloomberg News reported earlier this week that Adani met with Donald Trump Jr. in November while the Justice Department investigation was active, according to Al Jazeera. Bloomberg did not report what the two discussed, Al Jazeera said.
Garaufis has not ruled on whether the case will be dismissed. His order requires prosecutors to provide a fuller explanation before the court acts on the government’s request.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.