CBI files FIRs against Chanda, Deepak Kochhar and Dhoot

The CBI has registered an FIR against several entities and persons, including former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon Group MD Venugopal Dhoot, for alleged irregularities in loans sanctioned in 2012.

The FIR also listed Videocon International Electronics Ltd (VIEL), Videocon Industries Ltd (VIL), Deepak Kochhar-owned NuPower Renewables Ltd (NRL), and Supreme Energy, which was originally promoted by Dhoot.

The CBI carried out search operations in the Mumbai and Aurangabad offices of the Videocon Group, Supreme Energy and NRL. Noting that various committees of ICICI Bank had sanctioned loans to Videocon group companies on different dates, the FIR has named former and current officials of ICICI Bank who were a part of these committees, including Sandeep Bakhshi, Zarin Daruwala, K Ramkumar, Sonjoy Chatterjee, NS Kannan, Rajiv Sabharwal, KV Kamath and Homi Khusrokhan.

As these loans turned into NPAs and caused losses to the bank to the tune of Rs.1,730 crore, the role of these officials may also be investigated, it said.

The CBI had, in December 2017, registered a preliminary enquiry on allegations that ICICI Bank officials had, for a quid pro quo, sanctioned credit facilities of Rs.3,250 crore to five Videocon group companies in violation of the Banking Regulation Act. It was alleged that Dhoot invested Rs.64 crore in NRL through Supreme Energy and also transferred the company to Pinnacle Energy Trust, which is managed by Kochhar in a “circuitous route”, between 2010-12.