A federal judge in New Jersey has approved the dismissal of a high-profile foreign bribery case involving two former executives from a technology outsourcing firm based in Teaneck, NJ. The case, originally filed in 2019, centered on allegations that the executives authorized bribes to an official in India to expedite construction of a major office complex in Chennai.
The acting U.S. attorney overseeing the case submitted a motion to dismiss last week, stating the decision followed a reassessment of a recent executive directive concerning enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The dismissal motion was filed after an earlier request for a six-month delay in the proceedings was denied.
In response, the presiding judge gave federal prosecutors a choice: continue with the trial as scheduled or move to dismiss the case. On Thursday, the judge approved the motion to dismiss, bringing an end to the long-standing legal proceedings.
The two executives — the company’s former president and former chief legal officer — had been awaiting trial after years of legal maneuvering and pretrial motions.
While the judge avoided further delays in this case, he remains involved in separate legal matters related to the enforcement of federal policy directives. In one such case, the judge recently declined a request to relocate a legal dispute involving a detained individual engaged in controversial campus activism.
The decision to dismiss the bribery case follows weeks of back-and-forth between federal prosecutors and the court, including prior assurances from officials that the case would move forward despite the temporary pause on certain enforcement actions.
