The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly considering dropping criminal fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani after discussions between prosecutors and a newly assembled legal team that reportedly argued the case lacked jurisdiction and sufficient evidence.
The discussions followed a private meeting in Washington involving Adani’s lawyers, led by Robert Giuffra — a senior partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and also a personal attorney to President Donald Trump, multiple news organizations including The New York Times and Bloomberg reported.
Giuffra told Justice Department officials that Adani planned to invest $10 billion in the United States and create around 15,000 jobs but argued that the ongoing prosecution complicated those plans.
The Justice Department has not publicly commented on the reports.
Adani, founder of one of India’s largest infrastructure and energy conglomerates, is widely regarded as one of Asia’s most influential businessmen, with interests spanning ports, power generation, mining, logistics and renewable energy.
The billionaire has long been viewed as politically ally to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although both the Adani Group and India’s government have denied allegations of favoritism or “crony capitalism” raised by critics and opposition figures.
Lawyer Giuffra delivered an extensive presentation contending that prosecutors lacked both jurisdiction and sufficient evidence to sustain the case.
Some prosecutors emphasized that the proposed investment would not influence legal decisions, although the New York Times reported that at least one senior Justice Department official reacted favorably to the proposal.
Separately, Adani on Thursday resolved a related civil fraud lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to court filings cited by Reuters. The settlement remains subject to court approval.
Adani and his nephew are expected to share approximately $15 million in penalties under the SEC settlement without admitting or denying wrongdoing.
Adani Group may also pay a separate $275 million settlement with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in connection with another investigation involving shipments of Iranian gas.
The criminal case stems from charges filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn in November 2024 accusing Adani and associates of participating in a scheme involving roughly $250 million in alleged bribes to Indian officials tied to solar energy contracts.
At the time, prosecutors alleged the defendants concealed corruption from lenders and investors while raising more than $3 billion through loans and bond offerings.
The Justice Department had said Adani and others conspired “to lie to investors and banks to raise billions of dollars, and to obstruct justice.”
“These offences were allegedly committed by senior executives and directors to obtain and finance massive state energy supply contracts through corruption and fraud at the expense of U.S. investors,” then-Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lisa Miller said following the indictment.
The Adani Group has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and previously described the allegations as “baseless.”
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
