Storm in the US: Case against Haifa Port owner closed — and the judge does not spare criticism
A federal judge in the US has sharply criticized the closure of the criminal case against billionaire Gautam Adani, pointing to "disturbing irregularities" in the way the decision was reached.
A federal judge in the United States has sharply criticized the US Department of Justice's decision to end criminal proceedings against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, pointing to a series of irregularities that he says raise concerns. In his ruling, Judge Nicholas Garaufis wrote that the conduct of a senior Department of Justice official reflects a "lack of respect for the judicial system," and that the way the decision to close the case was reached was "highly unusual."
Garaufis determined that Trent McCotter, the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, appeared to have made the decision to abandon the case "largely in cooperation" with Adani's lawyers. According to him, it appears the decision was made without significant involvement from the prosecutors who managed the case and filed the initial indictment. "As noted throughout this opinion, the irregularities in the decision to dismiss the indictment are concerning," the judge wrote.
The decision dismisses all charges against Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, but leaves charges against five other defendants in place. The case revolves around allegations that Adani and others were involved in a conspiracy to bribe government officials in India, while allegedly failing to disclose the information to investors in the United States. Last month, Adani's lawyer, Robert Giuffra, admitted in a court filing that his team had twice told the Department of Justice that the Adani Group "would be prepared" to invest $10 billion in the United States "as part of any settlement" in which the prosecution would agree to close the case "on the merits." Giuffra, who serves as co-chairman of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, is also the personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump.
Judge Garaufis referred in his decision to the "repeated attempts" by Giuffra "to resolve this bribery case through financial offers," and added: "The public must decide what influence offers of this kind have on equality in law enforcement and on the rule of law." However, the judge determined that the investment offer was not the sole reason for the Department of Justice's decision to dismiss the case.
According to Bloomberg data, Adani's wealth has grown since the beginning of the year by $27.2 billion, reaching $112 billion. In doing so, he overtook Mukesh Ambani and returned to the status of the richest man in Asia, who also owns the Haifa Port.
