ICICI-Videocon case: CBI planning to issue summons

The CBI is planning to issues summons to former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and industrialist V.N. Dhoot in connection with Rs 3,250-crore loan case involving the Videocon Group and the ICICI Bank.

CBI sources on Monday said the agency would initiate the move after completing the scrutiny of documents it had seized during January 24 raids carried out at four locations in Maharashtra in connection with the case.

"We are currently in the process of scrutinising the incriminating documents recovered during the searches in ICICI Bank-Videocon case. We will then start issuing summons to all concerned persons of the case," said the source.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recovered various documents related to the case after it conducted simultaneously raids at the offices of the four companies in south Mumbai and one location belonging to Videocon in Aurangabad on January 24, a day after it registered an FIR in the case naming former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband and NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd MD Deepak Kochhar, and Videocon Group MD Dhoot, and others in the case dating back to 2009-2012.

Chanda Kochhar's role in the alleged irregularities committed has been highlighted in the CBI's FIR ever since she assumed charge as the ICICI Bank MD and CEO on May 1, 2009.

Besides, four companies -- NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd (NRL), Supreme Energy Pvt Ltd (SEPL), Videocon International Electronics Ltd (VIEL) and Videocon Industries Ltd (VIL) -- have also been named in the CBI FIR.

According to the FIR, they have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act as the accused allegedly "sanctioned loans to private companies in a criminal conspiracy with other accused to cheat ICICI Bank".

The FIR followed a preliminary enquiry (PE) instituted on March 31, 2018, against Deepak Kochhar, Videocon Group officials and others to determine whether any wrongdoing was involved in the sanctioning of loan by the ICICI Bank as part of a consortium.

--IANS

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