Gautam Adani-led Adani Group has hired prominent US law firms, including Kirkland & Ellis and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, to handle civil and criminal proceedings initiated by the SEC and the Eastern District of New York, sources told ET. These firms are recognised as being among the world’s largest litigation firms.
On November 21, US authorities indicted Gautam Adani and associates, alleging payment of bribes exceeding $250 million to Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts from SECI for Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL).
AGEL issued a statement in November stating that founder chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vneet S Jaain face no charges under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) or bribery allegations.
Also Read | Why did Hindenburg Research, short-seller behind Adani Group $150 bn rout, shut down? Read full text of founder Nate Anderson’s personal note
A single US court judge now oversees the civil and criminal proceedings against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and other officials, brought forth by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Eastern District of New York.
Requests for comment from the Adani Group, their executives, and both Quinn Emanuel and Kirkland & Ellis remained unanswered.
Quinn Emanuel, based in Los Angeles, identifies itself as the world’s largest firm dedicated exclusively to business litigation and arbitration. The firm reports handling over 2,300 cases with an 88% success rate and securing more than $70 billion in judgments and settlements.
The firm’s expertise encompasses complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, securities, and white-collar criminal defence. Their client portfolio includes Google, Apple, Microsoft and Uber, with particular focus on securities litigation, product liability and regulatory investigations.
Also Read | ‘Kitne Ghazi Aaye, Kitne Ghazi…’: Adani Group CFO shares cryptic post after Hindenburg Research announces shutdown
Chicago-based Kirkland & Ellis operates across 21 global locations, including Asia and Europe. Their specialisation includes high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation, alongside white-collar and government disputes. They represent major corporations like Apple, Google, Facebook, and have defended Johnson & Johnson and Volkswagen in environmental and product liability cases.
Former Azure Power executives Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal face charges of FCPA violation conspiracy related to government contract bribery schemes. CDPQ-affiliated individuals Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra are charged with obstruction of justice conspiracy, including evidence tampering and withholding crucial information during investigations.
