ED arrests Chanda Kochhar’s husband in Rs 1,730-crore ICICI loan case

New Delhi/Mumbai, September 7

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday arrested Deepak Kochhar, husband of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, in connection with the ICICI Bank loan case.

A top ED official told IANS, “Deepak Kochhar has been arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after daylong questioning.” He was arrested by the Mumbai branch of the financial probe agency.

The action comes almost a year after the ED filed a money laundering case last year on the basis of a complaint registered by the CBI against Videocon Director Venugopal Dhoot, his companies (Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Ltd), as well as former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak.

Earlier this year, the ED provisionally attached Rs 78.15 crore worth movable and immovable assets in possession of ICICI Bank’s former Managing Director and CEO, her husband and the companies owned/controlled by him.

During investigation it was revealed that loans were refinanced and new loans aggregating to Rs 1,730 crore sanctioned to Videocon Industries Ltd (VIL) and its group companies and these loans became non-performing assets (NPA) for ICICI Bank on June 30, 2017.

Investigation further revealed that an amount of Rs 64 crore, out of the loan of Rs 300 crore sanctioned by a committee headed by Chanda Kochhar to Videocon International Electronics Ltd, was transferred to Nupower Renewables Pvt Ltd (NRPL, earlier known as NuPower Renewables Ltd, a company of Deepak Kochhar) by VIL on September 8, 2009, just one day after disbursement of loan by the ICICI Bank.

Further, net revenue of Rs 10.65 crore were generated by NRL from these tainted funds. Therefore, proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 74.65 crore were transferred to/generated in NRPL.

Investigation also revealed that Chanda Kochhar and her family acquired an apartment in Mumbai owned by one of the Videocon group companies, by way of acquiring that company through her family trust at a nominal price by creating book entries.

Accordingly, assets amounting to Rs 74.54 crore held in the name of Nupower Renewables Pvt Ltd, its subsidiaries, the flat located at Mumbai (book value of Rs 3.5 crore), and amount of Rs 10.5 lakh already seized by ED from company of Deepak Kochhar, totalling to Rs 78.15 crore being proceeds of crime have been provisionally attached by ED under PMLA. — IANS

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