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Adani Defense Outmaneuvers DOJ in Bribery Case
19 Jul
Summary
- A 10-week legal campaign led to DOJ dropping criminal charges.
- Hundreds of pages of submissions challenged bribery and fraud allegations.
- Adani's team relied on four outside experts for analysis.
A decade-long legal campaign, comprising hundreds of pages of submissions and expert reports, was instrumental in the US Justice Department's decision to abandon criminal charges against billionaire Gautam Adani. This intensive defense effort, spanning from February to April 2026, meticulously challenged bribery and securities fraud allegations.
The defense team, led by Robert J. Giuffra Jr., submitted extensive documentation, including over 600 pages of legal filings and presentations. They strategically employed reports from four distinguished outside experts, including a Harvard Law professor and a former Chief Justice of India, to analyze alleged securities violations and India's anti-corruption framework.
Launched on November 20, 2024, the case accused Adani and others of conspiring to pay over $250 million in bribes for solar energy contracts. The defense countered by questioning US jurisdiction, the credibility of prosecution evidence, and the implausibility of bribery claims, arguing the case primarily involved conduct in India.
On May 18, 2026, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the indictment, citing jurisdictional challenges, evidentiary issues, and the absence of identified investor losses. This followed separate civil settlements where Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani agreed to pay penalties to the SEC.
The defense also reportedly raised Gautam Adani's November 2024 pledge of a $10 billion investment in US projects, though the Justice Department rejected any resolution of criminal charges through this commitment. The criminal case concluded alongside civil settlements with the SEC.
