ICICI-Videocon loan case: Enforcement Directorate grills Chanda Kochhar, her husband for 8 hours

Former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar travelled to Delhi on Monday to record their statements before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Videocon Group bank loan case. The agency had earlier recorded their testimonies in Mumbai.

The couple arrived at the ED headquarters around 11 am. They spent nearly 9 hours, including a one-hour food break, said sources. The details of the questioning could not be known immediately.

According to ED sources, Chanda and Deepak had been asked to join the probe and appear before the investigating officer. They had sought more time and were allowed accordingly.

Chanda Kochhar's brother-in-law and Deepak's brother, Rajiv Kochhar, has also been grilled by the ED multiple times in the case. Rajiv Kochhar has been questioned by the CBI in the same case in the past as well.

The agency has registered a case under anti-money laundering laws, alleging a quid pro quo of Rs 64 crore in the form of investments in the company of Chanda Kochhar's husband for sanction of loans to Videocon Group companies.

The CBI had said that Chanda was a part of the ICICI bank committees that had cleared some of the six loans worth Rs 1,875 crore to the Videocon group and associated companies.

The agency had also carried out raids at offices of the Videocon group, owned by Venugopal Dhoot, Nupower Renewables in Mumbai and Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

A case was registered following a preliminary enquiry on the allegations that loans worth Rs 3,250 crore were sanctioned by the bank to companies associated with the Videocon group in violation of the laid-down norms.

Preliminary Enquiry was registered on December 8, 2017 on the allegations that ICICI Bank Limited sanctioned credit facilities of about Rs 3250 crores to Trend Electronics, Century Appliances Limited, Kail Limited, Value Industries Limited and Evan Fraser and Co India Limited -- all companies belonging to Videocon Group , promoted by Dhoot.

The officials of ICICI bank sanctioned credit facilities to these companies in violation of banking regulation Act, RBI guidelines and Credit Policy of the bank.

It was also alleged that as a part of quid pro quo, Dhoot made an investment of Rs 64 crore in Nupower Renewables Limited through Supreme Energy Private Limited (SEPL) and also transferred SEPL to Pinnacle Energy Trust managed by Deepak Kochhar through a circuitous route between 2010 to 2012.