U.S. Prosecutor Clarifies Role in Dropped Adani Bribery Case

The top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., has clarified he was not the decision-maker behind the U.S. Justice Department's move to drop criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. In a letter to the presiding judge Nocella stated he had no basis to dispute the dismissal though he stopped short of explicitly endorsing it.

Adani faced allegations of paying $265 million in bribes to Indian officials to secure contracts for a massive solar power plant. However, top Justice Department official Trent McCotter directed the dismissal arguing the U.S. should not act as the "world police" in a predominantly foreign matter. McCotter also suggested the previous administration left a "potential quagmire of a case."

The dismissal drew judicial scrutiny after Adani acknowledged offering a $10 billion U.S. investment to resolve the criminal charges and a related civil case. While Nocella noted he previously "categorically rejected" tying any settlement to investments, McCotter maintained the decision to drop the case was made before the investment offer was ever discussed.

While the criminal charges have been dropped, financial penalties remain. Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani agreed to pay $18 million to settle a related SEC case. Furthermore, Adani Enterprises will pay $275 million to resolve a Treasury Department probe.

The Adani dismissal adds to a growing list of high-profile cases from the previous administration being dropped by the current Justice Department, a trend that has prompted several federal judges to question the leniency of these recent resolutions.