New Delhi: The Ministry of Law and Justice has forwarded a summons from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to a Gujarat court, requesting it to be served on industrialist Gautam Adani in connection with a bribery case.
The US SEC has accused Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, of running a bribery scheme worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The allegations state that bribes were paid to Indian government officials to secure energy deals at inflated rates. The SEC has also charged Cyril Cabanes, an executive at Azure Power, for his role in the alleged scheme, said reports.
Adani Green and Azure had facilitated investments from American investors, but Adani is facing corruption allegations in securing the contract. The summons was sent under the Hague Convention in February following a request from the US government’s Central Authority. According to reports, the Law Ministry issued an internal note on February 25, directing the Gujarat sessions court to take necessary action.
Zee 24 Kalak reached out to the District Court Registrar and the Public Prosecutor for comments on the matter, but neither was willing to speak, as the case is sub judice (under judicial consideration) and falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Law.
According to sources, the Ahmedabad court is expected to issue a notice to Gautam Adani soon. The court has already initiated the process of sending the notice. The letter states that two sets of the request, along with supporting documents, have been enclosed, asking for “a report on the proof of service (along with the second set of the case)” to be sent to the department in New Delhi. Once received, the response will be forwarded to the relevant foreign authority.
The letter further states, “Since the matter requires correspondence with foreign authorities, it is earnestly requested that the report on the proof of service be in English. Further, in this case, the bailiff/process server’s report is in the regional language, it is requested that an English translation of the report be attached thereto.”
The case involves an American district court where the US market regulator has named Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and others in an alleged bribery scheme. Both Gautam Adani and the Adani Group have denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
Adani and others are charged under a law that was put on hold by former US President Donald Trump through an executive order on February 10. As per the White House, the now-paused foreign bribery law is considered “overexpansive and unpredictable” and is said to be “actively harming American economic competitiveness and, therefore, national security.”
In November, the New York Eastern District Court summoned Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani to respond to allegations by the US regulator that they paid $265 million in bribes to secure profitable solar power deals. The notice, dated November 21, required them to submit a reply within 21 days after receiving the summons (excluding the day of receipt).
According to details made public by the New York court, Adani and seven other defendants, including Sagar Adani—who serves as a director at Adani Green Energy—allegedly agreed to pay approximately $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between 2020 and 2024. This was reportedly done to secure solar energy contracts expected to generate $2 billion in profits over 20 years.
Following these claims, an Adani Group spokesperson denied the allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the SEC against Adani Green directors, calling them “baseless.” The spokesperson said the group would pursue “all possible legal recourse.”
Who Are the Individuals Named in the Case?
As per US authorities, the following individuals have been named as defendants in the case:
– Gautam S Adani
– Sagar S Adani
– Vneet S Jaain
– Ranjit Gupta
– Cyril Cabanes
– Saurabh Agarwal
– Deepak Malhotra
