ICICI’s Chanda Kochhar and Axis Bank’s Shikha Sharma summoned in Punjab National Bank case

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on Tuesday summoned ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and Axis Bank MD Shikha Sharma in relation to the massive scam of Punjab National Bank (PNB). While the ICICI bank was one of the lead bankers in the consortium, Axis Bank too had a major exposure.

Both the top women bankers have been summoned in a case of Rs 5280 crore working capital facility given to Mehul Choksi’s Gitanjali Group by a consortium of 31 banks, it has been reported.

The SFIO’s Mumbai head confirmed to India Today that both Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma have been summoned.  “They have been summoned for giving the loan facility to Gitanjali Group. Our intention is to get the information from these two banks. We would like to question both of them,” the head was quoted as saying.

It has also been learned that PNB MD and CEO Sunil Mehta have been summoned by the SFIO. As per PTI, V Srinivasan, Deputy Managing Director of Axis Bank was seen coming out of the SFIO office in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Also, CBI on Tuesday detained Vipul Chitalia, the vice president of Gitanjali Group of Companies, as a part of the investigation.

The 11,380 crore PNB scam, involving Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, is being termed as one of the biggest in the country. The CBI had filed the first FIR on February 14 against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal, Mehul Choksi and his firms.