CBI books Kochhar duo, Videocon MD Venugopal Dhoot

The CBI on Thursday registered booked former MD and CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar, her businessman husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon MD Venugopal Dhoot in a case of alleged irregularities in the sanctioning of loans by the ICICI bank.

Kochhar had quit the ICICI on October 4 last year in the wake of allegations that she had favoured Videocon in the lending processes because the consumer electronics company's founders had invested in a company founded by her husband Deepak Kochhar.

The CBI filed cases against the three along with some others after conducting raids at four premises in Maharashtra, the investigating agency said.

The preliminary enquiry allegedly showed that from June 2009 to October 2011, ICICI Bank had sanctioned 6 high-value loans to various Videocon Group companies, CBI sources said.

Chanda Kochhar had taken over the post of the Managing Director of the ICICI Bank on May 1, 2009.

The companies M/S Nupower Renewables Limited (NRL) and M/S Supreme Energy Private Limited (SEPL) have also been named under the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation

It is alleged that SEPL was initially incorporated by Dhoot and his associate Vasant Kakade and the ownership of the company was later transferred to Chanda Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochhar by selling the shares of the company to Pinnacle Energy Trust (PET) which was owned by Kochhar.

It was further alleged that Venugopal Dhoot allegedly invested a large amount of funds in Deepak Kochhar-owned Nupower months after the Videocon group got Rs 3,250 crore as loan from the ICICI Bank in 2012

The preliminary enquiry conducted by the premier investigators alleged that offences were committed under section 120-B read with 420 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 7 and Section 13 (2) read with 13 (1)(d) on the part of various companies of the Videocon Group owned and promoted by Venugopal Dhoot, MD Videocon.