CBI books Kochhars, Dhoot in ICICI-Videocon loan fraud

New Delhi: The CBI has booked former ICICI bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kocchar and Videocon group MD Venugopal Dhoot for alleged cheating and corruption in sanctioning loans to the company causing a loss of `1,730 crore to the bank.
Some top names in the banking industry – CEO of ICICI bank Sandeep Bakshi, Sonjoy Chatterjee, Zarin Daruwala, Rajiv Sabharwal, KV Kamath and Homi Khusrokhan – have come under the scanner as they were part of the ICICI bank committees clearing six loans worth `1,875 crore given to Videocon group, said the sources.
Following registration of the FIR late Wednesday night, the CBI officials swooped down at four locations in Mumbai and Aurangabad Thursday – Videocon group offices, Nupower Renewables – run by Deepak Kochhar and Supreme Energy – once promoted by Dhoot.
The agency had registered a preliminary enquiry on the allegations that `3,250 crore worth of loans were sanctioned illegally by the bank to companies associated with the Videocon group.
It was alleged that Dhoot had invested `64 crore through one of the companies, Supreme Energy, founded by him.
During preliminary enquiry registered in December, 2017, the Central agency found irregularities in sanctioning six loans worth `1,875 crore to Videocon Industries Limited, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and four other companies associated with the Videocon group between June, 2009 and October, 2011, the officials said.
Chanda Kochhar was on the sanctioning committee deciding two loans – `300 crore to Videocon International Electronics August 26, 2009 and `750 crore to Videocon Industries Limited October 31, 2011, they said, adding the loans were issued in violation of the laid-down policy and regulations of the bank.