US judge demands explanation for dropping charges against India's Adani

A U.S. judge has refused to immediately dismiss criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, demanding the Justice Department justify its decision to drop the case. Adani was accused in 2024 of bribing Indian officials to secure approval for a solar plant development. Prosecutors also alleged he misled U.S. investors about his company's anti-corruption practices. The Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, the Justice Department announced it would no longer pursue the prosecution. However, Adani's legal team requested a formal dismissal from Brooklyn-based U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis. In a ruling, Garaufis stated that the prosecutors' notice to abandon the case lacked sufficient explanation. He has set a July 13 deadline for the Justice Department to submit further information.

"The Government's terse, bland and conclusory statement affords the court neither a sufficient basis to reach any conclusion, nor the opportunity to conduct any analysis of the Government's request for dismissal," Garaufis wrote. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, which brought the charges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Robert Giuffra, an attorney for Adani, reiterated the argument that the case should be dismissed, citing that it falls outside U.S. legal jurisdiction and that prosecutors cannot prove the alleged bribery in India.

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The Government's terse, bland and conclusory statement affords the court neither a sufficient basis to reach any conclusion, nor the opportunity to conduct any analysis of the Government's request for dismissal.