US Justice Department urges judge to drop Adani charges permanently

The US Department of Justice has strongly advocated for the permanent dismissal of criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and seven others. In a forceful filing, the DOJ told a federal judge that the prosecution was legally flawed, diplomatically counterproductive, and inconsistent with the Trump administration's enforcement priorities. The department stated the case "should have been dropped a year ago -- or never brought in the first place."

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The US Department of Justice has forcefully defended its decision to abandon the criminal case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and seven others, telling a federal judge the prosecution was legally flawed, diplomatically counterproductive and inconsistent with the Trump administration's enforcement priorities.

The DOJ outlined six primary reasons for seeking the dismissal of all charges. These include the assertion that the alleged conduct was overwhelmingly centered in India, that Indian authorities had already investigated the allegations and found no actionable misconduct, and that investors suffered no financial losses. Furthermore, the department noted that key evidence and witnesses were located abroad, the defendants were unlikely to appear in a US court, and the prosecution faced significant evidentiary hurdles.

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the case "should have been dropped a year ago -- or never brought in the first place,"

Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General R Trent McCotter argued that requiring prosecutors to publicly justify dismissal decisions would discourage future dismissals, expose privileged internal deliberations, and infringe on the executive branch's constitutional authority over charging decisions. "Judicial inquisitions into the bases for dismissal will expose privileged internal debates," McCotter wrote, adding that such demands could chill the department's willingness to seek dismissals in cases not in the interests of justice. He stated that the decision to seek dismissal was "not a close call" after reviewing extensive submissions and conducting his own legal analysis.

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The department cited six overarching reasons for dropping all charges, including that the alleged conduct was overwhelmingly centred in India, Indian authorities had investigated the allegations and found no actionable misconduct (File Photo/ AP)