Gautam Adani US bribery case dismissed by judge

A US judge has dismissed the fraud and bribery case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani after the Trump administration moved to drop the charges.

Brooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis formally granted prosecutors' May request to throw out the 2024 allegations. Prosecutors had alleged that Adani participated in a $265 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for solar energy supply contracts.

US media reported that Adani's lawyer Robert Giuffra, who is also Donald Trump's personal lawyer, told Justice Department officials in April that Adani would be willing to invest $10 billion in the US economy if the charges were dropped.

Garaufis had asked whether the reported investment pledge played a role in the government's decision to abandon the case. He ultimately concluded it was not part of prosecutorial decision-making.

The judge criticised how Trump-appointed Deputy Associate Attorney General Trent McCotter handled the dismissal request, writing that the decision appeared to have been made largely with defence counsel and seemingly without input from FBI and SEC investigators or prosecutors who brought the case.

Adani welcomed the ruling on social media, saying he had deep respect for the judicial process. The Adani Group is one of India's largest business empires, with interests including ports, power plants, cement and media.