The US Department of Justice has dismissed criminal fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his top executives. The Adani Group has resolved all three legal cases pending in the United States and is now able to visit the country. Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay a $275 million fine over allegations of violating US sanctions on Iran.
May 19, Kathmandu – This significant legal relief follows Adani’s agreement to resolve a separate civil case. With this settlement, the Adani Group has concluded all its legal challenges in the US. Consequently, Adani can now travel to America without facing legal risks. Alongside the dismissal of the criminal case, Adani Enterprises consented to a $275 million penalty for breaching US sanctions imposed on Iran.
According to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, from November 2023 through June 2025, Adani Enterprises purchased gas from Oman and Iraq through merchants based in Dubai, but this gas originated from Iran, a sanctioned country. This involved approximately 32 payments totaling around $192 million in US dollar transactions via US financial institutions, contravening US law.
In 2024, the US Department of Justice filed criminal charges against 63-year-old Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and other officials, accusing them of bribing Indian officials to secure large renewable energy projects and defrauding US investors. The Adani Group has strongly denied these allegations from the outset. The Eastern District Court of New York has now ordered the complete dismissal of the case.
Media reports attribute the case dismissal to a policy during President Donald Trump’s administration that deprioritized prosecuting foreign bribery cases. The legal victory is credited in large part to the newly appointed defense team hired by Adani. Among them was Robert J. Giuffra Jr., Trump’s former personal legal advisor and one of the most influential attorneys globally, who argued the case on Adani’s behalf.
According to The New York Times, following the dismissal, Adani’s lawyers reiterated the group’s commitment to invest $10 billion in the US and create 15,000 jobs—a pledge originally made after Trump’s anticipated 2024 election victory. Just last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission also withdrew a civil fraud lawsuit against Gautam and Sagar Adani, with the parties agreeing to pay a combined $18 million fine.
The settlement does not constitute an admission or denial of the allegations but includes a prohibition on Adani violating US fraud laws in the future. Forbes lists Adani, with a net worth of $82 billion, among the wealthiest individuals globally. His business interests span key sectors including energy, ports, and airports.
