Adani Group’s Lobbying Strategy in the US to Counter Bribery Allegations

On November 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed bribery charges against India’s Adani Group, alleging that Chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and other senior executives orchestrated a massive scheme to bribe Indian officials to secure energy contracts. Following the public disclosure of these allegations, the Adani Group significantly shifted its lobbying efforts in the United States, moving from routine commercial advocacy to a robust crisis management campaign.

An analysis of U.S. federal lobbying records from 2023 to 2025, provided by OpenSecrets, a U.S.-based research group tracking money in politics, reveals a three-phase strategy reflecting the group’s response to escalating legal and regulatory pressures. The Adani Group has dismissed the DOJ’s allegations as “baseless,” asserting in a November 21, 2024, statement that it upholds the highest standards of governance, transparency, and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions.

**Phase 1 (2023): Modest Commercial Lobbying** Throughout 2023, the Adani Group’s lobbying in Washington, D.C., was limited and focused on business objectives, with a total expenditure of $40,000. Managed entirely by its subsidiary, Adani Solar USA, and a single lobbyist, Anurag Varma, the group targeted U.S. government agencies like the Department of Commerce, Department of State, Export-Import Bank, National Security Council, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. The focus was on commercial interests, particularly solar energy and trade issues. Varma, with extensive lobbying experience since the 1990s, represented Indian and Indian-American interests, including the Indian government. **Phase 2 (Late 2024): Immediate Response to Indictment** The DOJ’s November 2024 indictment prompted an immediate shift in strategy. On November 21, 2024, the Adani Group hired Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a prominent law and lobbying firm, ostensibly to address “supply chain issues,” though the timing suggests a response to the legal crisis. The lobbying team expanded to five members, including four with prior government experience, such as former Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Lobbying expenditures nearly doubled to $70,000, with an additional $20,000 paid to Akin Gump. The White House was added to the list of targeted entities, indicating a push for high-level political influence. **Phase 3 (2025): High-Profile Legal Defense Campaign**

In the first half of 2025, the Adani Group intensified its efforts, with lobbying expenditures surging to $150,000 in six months, more than double the previous year’s total. The group hired two elite white-collar defense firms, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, on January 20, 2025, to represent Adani Green Energy, the subsidiary central to the bribery allegations. The firms’ registration explicitly stated they would lobby on “green energy issues and related criminal and civil matters,” directly tied to the DOJ case in the Eastern District of New York. The lobbying team grew to eight, including high-profile figures like William Burck, a former deputy counsel to the U.S. President. The focus shifted exclusively to the U.S. Department of State, reflecting the international nature of the allegations involving foreign officials.

The Adani Group’s federal lobbying records indicate a clear, reactive strategy, transitioning from low-level commercial efforts to a high-stakes legal and lobbying operation in response to the DOJ’s investigation. The increased spending, engagement of top-tier law firms, and focus on “criminal matters” underscore a concerted campaign to manage the legal and reputational fallout. Additionally, reports suggest the group engaged with the Trump administration to dismiss the $265 million bribery case, with a key meeting held in March 2025 involving prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn and DOJ officials.