Key Points
The US DoJ is reportedly preparing to drop criminal fraud and bribery charges against Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani.
The development follows negotiations involving Adani’s new legal chief Robert Giuffra Jr. and a commitment to create 15,000 jobs and invest $10 billion in the US economy.
Cvil proceedings by the US SEC are moving toward settlement, with Gautam and Sagar Adani agreeing to proposed penalties of $18 million without admitting wrongdoing.
The US Department of Justice is moving to drop criminal charges against Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, The New York Times reported on 14 May 2026. Adani is charged with securities and wire fraud conspiracy, as well as orchestrating a multi-million-dollar bribery scheme.
A separate civil suit against Adani by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) linked to the same allegations was also settled on 14 May 2026. The settlement of a third case by the US Treasury Department remains in talks. This follows Robert J Giuffra Jr., personal attorney of President Trump, taking charge of Adani’s legal team.
Giuffra reportedly met Justice Department officials in April 2026 and presented nearly 100 slides arguing that US prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence and jurisdiction to pursue the case against Adani. The team also reportedly reiterated the Group’s willingness to invest $10 billion in the US economy and create 15,000 jobs – a commitment initially announced by Gautam Adani after Trump’s 2024 re-election.
The NYT reported that while prosecutors later stated the investment proposal would not influence the criminal proceedings, the offer received a favourable response from at least one senior Justice Department official.
Reports further suggest that the SEC has already moved toward resolving the parallel civil proceedings, with a proposed civil penalty of $18 million. Gautam Adani is to pay $6 million while Sagar Adani has consented to a $12 million penalty, without either admitting or denying the allegations. The settlement, subject to court approval, also bars the Adanis from future violations of US anti-fraud laws related to securities and investor disclosures.
The criminal case stemmed from a November 2024 indictment filed by federal prosecutors in New York, accusing Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and several associates of orchestrating a bribery scheme involving about $250 million to secure solar energy contracts in India.
Prosecutors had alleged that the Adani Group concealed details of the alleged payments while raising more than $3 billion through loans and bond offerings from international investors. The contracts were projected to generate nearly $2 billion in profits over two decades, according to the indictment.
The Adani Group repeatedly denied all allegations, calling them “baseless” and politically motivated. Adani had earlier said that no individual from the group had been charged under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The SEC had accused the Adanis of making false and misleading statements in connection with a 2021 bond offering by Adani Green Energy Limited that raised $750 million, including around $175 million from US investors. According to the complaint, the company’s disclosures regarding anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance were materially misleading in light of the alleged bribery scheme connected to renewable energy contracts in India.
Reports said the Justice Department’s possible withdrawal from the case reflects a broader shift under the Trump administration away from aggressively pursuing overseas corporate bribery cases. The NYT noted that Trump had earlier criticised enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, arguing that it hurt American business competitiveness abroad.
The developments were welcomed by markets, with shares of several Adani Group companies seeing gains in early trading on 15 May 2026 before turning mixed later in the session. Even if the criminal case is formally dropped, Reuters reported that Indian regulators are still examining multiple allegations related to offshore funds and securities regulations.
The political fallout also continued in India, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing PM Modi of striking “a bargain for Adani’s release” through ongoing India-US trade talks. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh similarly linked the reported decision to broader diplomatic engagements between the two countries.
The Adani Group has not issued an official response to the latest reports.
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