Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani have agreed to a proposed settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve a civil fraud case over alleged bribery and misleading statements. The two will pay a combined $18 million in civil penalties under terms filed in a New York federal court on May 15, 2026—$6 million from Gautam Adani, $12 million from Sagar Adani. Notably, the settlement allows them to resolve the matter without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations that they devised a scheme to bribe Indian officials to obtain lucrative contracts to provide solar energy while misleading American investors.
The regulatory resolution comes as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly moving to drop related criminal charges against the billionaire. The turn comes after a new legal team led by Robert Giuffra Jr. aggressively represented Adani, and as the Indian industrialist renewed his vow to invest $10 billion into the U.S. economy and create 15,000 jobs, legal experts say. The twin developments have relieved legal pressure on the Adani Group considerably, even if the DOJ apparently held that investment pledges do not determine prosecution results.
The settlement clears away a major cloud hanging over the conglomerate’s international reputation since the original indictment in November 2024. Clearing these U.S. legal hurdles should provide the Adani Group with easier access to global capital markets. Shares of Adani Green Energy and other group subsidiaries rallied after the news as investors reacted to the potential end of the 18-month long legal saga. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York must formally approve the final judgment.
