A US federal judge has rejected the Justice Department’s request to dismiss criminal charges against co-defendants of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani in an alleged multi-billion-dollar bribery scheme.
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis strongly criticised the department’s handling of the case, particularly the actions of Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, and ruled that the remaining charges cannot be dismissed until prosecutors comply with his instructions.
In a 14-page ruling, Garaufis accused McCotter of making “unsubstantiated, self-serving pronouncements” while failing to meet the required procedural standards for seeking dismissal of the two charges.
The judge said he had repeatedly asked McCotter to provide “factual support” for the Justice Department’s decision to abandon the counts. However, he said the official responded to the court’s filings without supplying the requested evidence.
Garaufis did not completely rule out the possibility of dismissing the charges later. He said the court “continues to encourage the Department to submit sufficient factual support for its proffered reasons for dismissal.”
A Justice Department spokesperson rejected the ruling and said the department “disagrees with his ruling and will be seeking appellate review.”
The latest decision follows a separate ruling last month in which Garaufis allowed prosecutors to dismiss three charges against Adani himself.
However, the judge criticised McCotter’s handling of the matter, describing his conduct as “highly unusual” and “unbecoming of his office.”
At the time, Garaufis refused to dismiss two additional charges against Adani’s co-defendants, arguing that the Justice Department had not provided enough justification for its request.
The case stems from allegations made by US prosecutors and regulators in late 2024 that Adani and several associates were involved in “a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from U.S. investors and global financial institutions on the basis of false and misleading statements.”
The latest ruling means the charges against Adani’s co-defendants remain in place for now, pending further action by the Justice Department and possible appellate review.
