Adani to file affidavit this week in US court

Billionaire Gautam Adani is due to file a sworn affidavit before a US court this week stating whether he is aware of any agreement, promise or benefit linking the dismissal of a criminal indictment against him to potential investments by his group in the US, sources said.

The filing was ordered after the US Justice Department told the court it sought dismissal solely because the securities case was legally indefensible.

Department of Justice official McCotter, in a 10-page written filing, stated that he alone made the decision and denied media reports that the charges were dropped in exchange for a commitment by the defendants to invest in the US.

The judge, however, said the government's submission raised, for the first time, the possibility that some form of agreement may have existed, even though none had been disclosed to the court. Before approving the dismissal, the court said it must be satisfied that no undisclosed deal influenced the government's decision.

Adani has been directed to file the affidavit by July 15, addressing whether he is aware of any promise, offer, agreement or benefit connected with the dismissal, and whether he is aware of any exchange made in return for the indictment being dropped.

Sources said Adani is likely to file the affidavit this week.

Adani Group declined to comment as the issue was sub-judice.