New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday moved the case of money laundering against former ICICI Chairman Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon chairman Venugopal Dhoot from Mumbai to Delhi and set a deadline of six months to complete the entire probe.
Chanda has been asked to appear before the Investigation Officer (IO) of the agency in Delhi, on May 3. The CBI, which first registered an FIR in the case, had alleged that Chanda Kochhar cheated ICICI Bank in criminal conspiracy with other accused by permitting loans to the Videocon group. Now, the ED investigation has found similar plot in other corporate loans extended to Jaypee group and Bhushan Steel among others.
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The agency is also probing if Sterling Biotech group already being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering was one of the beneficiaries under similar circumstances.
While Chanda Kochhar husband, Deepak Kochhar, the founder director of NuPower Renewables is also under the radar of ED as an investment of Rs 325 crore was invested from two Mauritius-based individuals. The transaction tracks of these investments link them to Dhoot. The agencies are probing if Dhoot investment was all for availing credits from ICICI Bank.