Gautam Adani, India’s wealthiest industrialist, has acknowledged offering to invest $10 billion in the United States as part of resolving his federal criminal case but maintained that this offer did not influence the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against him.

Adani’s statement came in a sworn affidavit submitted on Wednesday, in response to a directive from U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of Brooklyn. Judge Garaufis had raised concerns over the Justice Department’s May motion to dismiss the indictment and requested Adani to clarify whether any deal involving the investment offer had been made in exchange for the case’s dismissal.

Represented by Robert J. Giuffra Jr., who also serves as a personal attorney to former President Donald Trump, Adani indicated that the $10 billion investment was proposed conditionally, “if that was what the D.O.J. or S.E.C. wanted,” referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission as well. Giuffra reportedly conveyed the offer in an April meeting at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In a separate filing, Giuffra introduced an email from Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which categorically rejected the notion that the investment proposal had any bearing on the decision to drop charges. “The offer to resolve the criminal charges by, in part, a general proposal to invest $10 billion in the United States is categorically rejected by this office,” the email stated.

Adani was indicted in November 2024 alongside seven co-defendants on allegations including fraud, bribery, and corruption related to business dealings in India. The indictment alleged that Adani paid bribes to Indian officials to secure solar energy contracts for one of his companies. Though the alleged misconduct occurred in India, prosecutors asserted U.S. jurisdiction due to the solicitation of capital from American investors.

Following the indictment’s dismissal, the case has seen unusual judicial oversight. Judge Garaufis, expressing skepticism about the Justice Department's motives, has pressed officials for a detailed explanation—a rare move given judges’ limited authority to block prosecutors’ decisions to abandon cases. The inquiry reflects a broader judicial trend during former President Trump’s administration, where courts have more frequently scrutinized government decisions to drop prosecutions.

Adani first publicly pledged the $10 billion investment in U.S. infrastructure and energy projects shortly after Trump’s 2024 election victory, at a time when he said he was not yet aware of the pending indictment. His legal team has emphasized the extensive submissions of factual and legal arguments made between February and April to contest the charges, asserting that the investment offer was independent of the criminal case’s outcome.

Separately, Adani and his nephew agreed to pay an $18 million fine to settle the SEC’s civil case, and an Adani company reached a $275 million settlement to resolve a Treasury Department probe.

The Justice Department’s move to drop the indictment has sparked internal conflicts. Trent McCotter, a senior DOJ official, described the dismissal as involving “a foreign case” outside the agency’s jurisdiction and said the decision predated discussions of the investment offer. McCotter also accused current and former Justice officials of acting “unethically” and leaking sensitive information. Shortly after the dismissal, two federal prosecutors publicly withdrew from the case.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn declined to comment on the developments. The case remains a focal point amid ongoing scrutiny from the judiciary and lawmakers about the Justice Department’s handling of high-profile prosecutions.