Two Democratic U.S. senators have questioned the Justice Department’s request to dismiss criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, saying reports that he offered to invest billions of dollars in the United States raised concerns about the “transactional nature” of the department’s actions.
In a June 11 letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal cited media reports that Adani had proposed investing $10 billion in the U.S. economy if the charges against him were dropped. The senators described the reported proposal as an “egregious quid pro quo offer” and sought details about the circumstances surrounding the Justice Department’s decision.
The Justice Department told a federal court in New York on May 18 that it had decided, “in its prosecutorial discretion, not to devote further resources to these criminal charges.” The court has not yet ruled on the request.
The move came days after The New York Times reported that prosecutors were considering dropping the case against Adani, who had retained a legal team led by Robert J. Giuffra Jr., one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers.
In their letter, Warren and Blumenthal said the sequence of events created the appearance that Adani, with the assistance of one of Trump’s lawyers, had secured immunity from prosecution in exchange for a commitment to invest in the United States.
“The DOJ’s decision gives the appearance that Mr. Adani … bought his way to criminal immunity,” the senators wrote, adding that reports of the investment proposal appeared to be a “blatant attempt by a wealthy individual to buy his way to leniency.”
They said the Justice Department’s subsequent effort to dismiss the charges risked creating the perception that the department was complicit in improper conduct.
The senators also asked whether the White House had communicated with the Justice Department regarding the case, including any discussions related to Adani’s reported investment proposal and potential job creation in the United States.
U.S. authorities indicted Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, in November 2024, alleging they orchestrated a $265 million scheme involving bribes to Indian officials to secure solar energy contracts and misled U.S. investors about the group’s anti-corruption practices.
Prosecutors alleged that details of the bribery scheme were concealed to obtain financing from investors and lenders.
The Adani Group has denied the allegations. In a stock exchange filing following the indictment, the conglomerate said the charges against Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani related to securities fraud allegations and disputed characterizations that they had been charged with bribery.
According to The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter, Adani could still face financial penalties even if the criminal charges are ultimately dismissed.
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