ICICI loan case: ED chargesheet names Chanda Kochhar, her husband, Venugopal Dhoot

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed its first chargesheet in the ICICI-Videocon loan case, naming former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, Videocon group chief Venugopal Dhoot and seven firms in a money laundering case.

According to ED sources, the financial probe agency has named Chanda Kochhar, Deepak Kochhar and Dhoot along with seven firms, including Videocon International Electronic Limited (VIEL), Videocon Industries Ltd, NuPower Renewables Ltd and Supreme Energy Pvt Ltd, among others.

Deepak Kochhar is currently in judicial custody after he was arrested by the ED.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in sanctioning six loans worth Rs 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 source said that Chanda Kochhar was on the sanctioning committee deciding two loans - Rs 300 crore to Videocon International Electronics on August 26, 2009 and Rs 750 crore to Videocon Industries Limited on October 31, 2011.

The loans were issued in the alleged violation of the laid-down policy and regulations of the bank, sources said.

The term loan of Rs 300 crore sanctioned to VIEL was disbursed on September 7, 2009. The next day, Dhoot transferred Rs 64 crore to NuPower Renewables Ltd through Supreme Energy founded by him.

The special PMLA court is yet to take cognisance of the chargesheet.