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Judge dismisses Adani bribery case, questions DOJ process
The ruling ended a US bribery and fraud prosecution tied to alleged more than $250 million in bribes for solar contracts, while spotlighting how DOJ officials abandoned the case despite US-related references in the indictment.
A US federal judge dismissed bribery and fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and seven other defendants, ending a high-profile prosecution tied to alleged payments to secure solar energy contracts in India and related claims involving misleading US investors, Mining.com reported.
In his ruling, US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis criticized the Justice Department decision to abandon the indictment as “highly unusual,” saying the case record and the department’s internal process raised concerns.
Garaufis noted that he was satisfied Adani’s pledge to invest $10 billion in the US did not influence the DOJ’s decision, but he questioned the role of Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, whom he said made the call with limited input from federal prosecutors and agents involved in investigating the matter.
The judge also challenged McCotter’s rationale, including arguments about the case being primarily foreign, and questioned the sufficiency and authenticity of certain supporting documents referenced in the dismissal process. Adani denied wrongdoing.