ByAlison Durkee,
Forbes Staff.
The Justice Department is poised to drop criminal charges against Gautam Adani for a promise he will make a heavy investment in U.S. jobs, multiple outlets reported Thursday, potentially ending the yearslong fraud case against the second-richest person in India (and No. 24 on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List).
DOJ is “moving forward” with plans to drop its indictment against Adani and could formally dismiss the charges as soon as this week, Bloomberg first reported based on anonymous sources, and the Securities and Exchange Commission may similarly settle a separate civil case against the Indian billionaire.
Adani, who chairs the India-based Adani Group, was indicted in November 2024 on allegations of participating in a $250 million bribery scheme, in which he and other executives allegedly bribed Indian government officials in order to get solar energy supply contracts, and then obtained funding for those contracts after concealing the bribery scheme to U.S. and international investors.
