The United States Justice Department is preparing to drop criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. Prosecutors plan to dismiss fraud and bribery charges that accused Adani of orchestrating a $265 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for solar contracts.
According to the New York Times, this change of tune comes after the billionaire changed his legal team and Robert Giuffra Jr., one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers.
In an unusual pitch to prosecutors, Giuffra offered that Adani would invest $10 billion in the American economy and create 15,000 jobs if charges were dropped.
Adani had promised this deal way back when Donald Trump won his second term, but lobbying from his new legal team appears to finally have yielded results.
US officials claim the investment won’t influence the criminal case dismissal. The billionaire still faces financial penalties from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Treasury Department for sanctions violations.
Adani Kenya Connection
Kenyans have interest in the probability charges facing Adani could be dropped. President William Ruto cancelled two Adani deals in November 2024 following the American indictment.
Adani was eyeing major infrastructure deals worth over $2.5 billion (KES 322 billion). The largest deal, worth $1.85 billion (KES 239 billion), was a 30-year agreement to renovate and operate Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Kenya was also discussing a $736 million (KES 95 billion) contract with Adani to build transmission lines and substations.
Both deals had sparked public outcry due to a lack of transparency and allegations of corruption. A Kenyan based in France had leaked details of the airport deal, leading to strikes by airport staff who feared job losses.
During court proceedings challenging the JKIA deal, protesters joined the virtual hearing, chanting, “Adani must go.”
In his address to the nation, Ruto justified the cancellations, claiming the government took action after being presented with new information from investigative agencies and partner nations.
Ruto’s government has been keen to pursue public-private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure projects. With no new partners announced since the cancellation in 2024, the country will be watching to see if the Indian conglomerate resuscitates the deals.
