An alleged $265 million bribery case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani may undergo drastic changes when Donald Trump assumes office as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025. According to Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra, the incoming administration may scrabble over charges and may dismiss those categorized as "unworthy or defective."

Attorney Batra pointed out that President-elect Trump has criticized legal cases he believes constitute "lawfare," in which the law is selectively utilized against political opponents. "Trump will neuter any prosecution that's not based in good faith," Batra stated, emphasizing the constitutional guarantee of “equal protection under the law.”

According to Batra, the Indian government could perhaps help Adani sort out this matter with Trump's administration. A lawyer remarked that there are factors of prosecutorial discretion and foreign policy priorities at play in such cases.

If the charges against Adani are defective, Trump's Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will withdraw them, Batra said. "The law is a many-splendored thing; it self-corrects to retain public confidence in the judiciary," he added.

Case details against Adani

Adani and several others, including his nephew Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain, are accused of a conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn alleged that the group engaged in a multi-billion-dollar bribery scheme and paid more than $250 million to Indian government officials.

The SEC also filed civil charges, alleging that Adani and his allies orchestrated the bribery scheme to win one of the Indian government's landmark solar energy projects. According to the allegations, Adani Green purportedly solicited $175 million from U.S. investors in the scheme, while Azure Power's stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The second term of Trump promises a sea change for the U.S. legal sphere. Ahead of President Trump's inauguration, multiple Biden-appointed U.S. Attorneys have announced resignations, in addition to SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

President Trump has already begun filling slots in his administration, including former SEC Chair Jay Clayton as a possible replacement for U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Batra also criticized the US laws applied in this case. Since the petitioner and other accused people do not even reside in the United States. He advised that these issues would easily be dealt with at the diplomatic level between the U.S. and Indian governments.