Does Gautam Adani face extradition over bribery charges?

The US department of justice (DoJ) has filed civil and criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and seven others, accusing them of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme.

Prominent US-based attorney Ravi Batra has warned that the case could escalate significantly, potentially resulting in arrest warrants and extradition attempts, according to PTI.

Adani, India’s second-richest man, and others — including his nephew Sagar Adani — are accused of bribing unnamed officials in the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to secure contracts for solar power.

Though the Adani Group has strongly denied the allegations, calling them "baseless" and asserting compliance with all applicable laws, Batra believes the charges could lead to an extradition bid against Gautam Adani as well.

Notably, India had signed an extradition treaty with the US in 1997.

"If [any] nation, like India, has an extradition treaty with the US, it is obligated to consider the request under its laws and the terms of the bilateral treaty," Batra explained.

Breon Peace — the US attorney for the eastern district of New York, who brought the charges against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and others — has the authority to seek arrest warrants for Adani and the other indicted individuals and have them served in the countries where they reside, Batra was quoted as saying by the PTI.

He noted that while extradition is generally granted in such circumstances, there have been rare exceptions — such as in the case of former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet, who was spared extradition by the UK on humanitarian grounds.

“It’s hard to see the Pinochet precedent apply to this case involving Adani and others,” Batra added, however.

The five counts of criminal indictment brought against the Adanis and their associates by Peace include conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud as well as substantive securities fraud.

According to the indictment, the defendants engaged in a sophisticated scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure lucrative contracts, misleading investors in the US and globally.

In a statement, Peace alleged that Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain had misrepresented the ‘bribery scheme’ while seeking investments from the US and international markets.

Legal experts believe the bribery charges could significantly impact the Adani Group’s fundraising plans.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also filed charges against both Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani, alongside Azure Power executive Cyril Cabanes, for violating anti-fraud provisions of federal securities laws.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 21 November, demanded the immediate arrest and interrogation of industrialist Gautam Adani.