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🇺🇸 United States /Crime & Justice

Judge dismisses charges against billionaire Adani, but sharply criticizes DOJ

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A federal judge dismissed criminal fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and some co-defendants, following the Justice Department's decision to drop the case.
  • The judge, however, criticized the Justice Department's handling of the dismissal, questioning the rationale and the process, particularly the role of a specific official.
  • The case, initiated during the previous administration, involved allegations of a foreign bribery scheme, and the dismissal came after meetings between defense counsel and Justice Department officials.

A federal judge has dismissed criminal fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and several of his co-defendants. The decision followed the Justice Department's move in May to terminate the high-profile foreign bribery case, which was brought towards the end of former President Joe Biden's tenure.

The irregularities in the decision to dismiss the indictment are concerning.

— U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. GaraufisExpressing concern over the process by which the Justice Department decided to dismiss the case against Gautam Adani.

However, U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis for the Eastern District of New York did not dismiss all counts, refusing to drop two charges against five other co-defendants. In a strongly worded 47-page ruling, Judge Garaufis sharply criticized the Justice Department's decision-making process. He singled out Trent McCotter, the principal associate deputy attorney general, stating that McCotter appeared to bear sole responsibility for the dismissal and had "eschewed the professional opinions of innumerable officials" in favor of his "singular judgment."

The judge found the circumstances surrounding the dismissal "concerning" and "highly unusual," noting that McCotter's decision seemed to be made largely in collaboration with defense counsel, with seemingly little input from the FBI and SEC agents who investigated the alleged misconduct, or the government attorneys who prosecuted the case. The case survived a review ordered by President Trump into pending foreign bribery cases, but the Justice Department moved to dismiss it after Adani's legal team met with government officials.

On the current record, McCotter appears to have eschewed the professional opinions of innumerable officials from various federal offices and replaced them with his singular judgment.

— U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. GaraufisCriticizing the specific official responsible for the dismissal, highlighting a deviation from standard procedures.

Sources indicated that during these meetings, Adani's representatives presented arguments disputing the evidence of the bribery scheme. One presentation highlighted Adani's company as "powering India's progress" and suggested the Trump administration "would not have brought the case." Additionally, it was reported that Adani offered a $10 billion investment in the American economy if the charges were dropped. Adani, a prominent figure in India and an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leads the Adani Group, a conglomerate with vast holdings in airports, seaports, and power plants.

The fact that McCotter came to this decision largely in collaboration with defense counsel, and seemingly without input from the FBI and SEC agents who investigated the alleged misconduct, or the attorneys from the Department, SEC, and U.S. Attorney's Office who brought the case, appears to be highly unusual.

— U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. GaraufisDescribing the unusual nature of the dismissal process, which involved close collaboration with the defense.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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