Now, the 62-year-old Indian billionaire and a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose sprawling $169bn empire spans ports and renewable energy, faces US fraud charges that could potentially jeopardise his ambitions at home and abroad.

Authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew, agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain solar energy supply contracts expected to yield billions in profit.