According to reports, representatives of industrialist Gautam Adani have met with US government officials under Donald Trump to discuss the prospect of dismissing criminal charges against him related to an investigation into bribery abroad.

Reports claim that the talks started early this year and have gotten more intense in recent weeks. The issue might be resolved in a month if the current rate of progress is maintained.

Along with his nephew Sagar Adani, Adani, the owner of the global conglomerate Adani Group, was charged. Gautam Adani is accused of offering $250 million in bribery to Indian state authorities in order to obtain contracts for solar energy.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also launched a rival legal claim. All of the accusations have been refuted by the Adani Group.

Trump, the most transactional US president in recent memory, may have been given a tool by the case, which involved a businessman with connections to Modi, to use in the present push for a trade agreement that benefits the US or for high-profile arms sales.

 

India has been keen to strike a trade agreement in order to avoid excessive levies, even if tariffs were not anticipated to become such a hot topic.

The Adani charges complicate the relationship politically since they are seen as a possible source of influence in Modi's discussions with Trump.

According to the White House, Trump's announced suspension was intended to prevent the legislation from being "abused" in ways that were detrimental to American interests and at odds with US foreign policy.

However, given that the executives of the mining-to-media behemoth have not been penalized under the FCPA, legal experts tracking the Adani case advise against interpreting this as a general respite.

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Over $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials were allegedly orchestrated between 2020 and 2024 by Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, former Adani Green Energy CEO Vneet Jaain, two former executives of the Indian renewables company Azure Power, and three former officials of the Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) in order to obtain lucrative solar energy contracts.