The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against 2 key persons who were formerly connected with the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) in the Special Court at Rouse Avenue Courts in New Delhi and 74 other individuals along with 57 companies for defrauding the consortium of 17 banks.
The charge sheet was filed against Kapil Wadhawan, the then CMD, DHFL, Dheeraj Wadhawan, the then Director of DHFL. CEO Harshil Mehta is also mentioned as an accused. This is a multi-crore bank loan scam case. The two accused were arrested in the present FIR on July 19.
The agency had registered the case in June in DHFL bank fraud matter for allegedly defrauding a consortium of 17 banks to the tune of Rs.34, 000 crore, making it the biggest banking loan fraud of the country.
The CBI has listed 18 individuals and 57 companies in the charge sheet through which funds were diverted.
A Delhi Court had dismissed the statutory bail plea of the former DHFL promoters, Kapil Wadhawan and his brother Dheeraj earlier this month.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne said that the filing of the present charge sheet in the investigation shall rather be governed by Section 167(2)(a)(i) CrPC, which provides for a maximum period of 90 days. This was against the claim placed before the court that since the CBI failed to file the charge sheet against them within the mandatory 60-day period from their arrest, they had “indefeasible right” to statutory bail, also known as default bail, in the matter.
According to the FIR based on a complaint made by Union Bank of India, the 2 former DHFL promoters, Kapil Wadhawan, the then CMD, Dheeraj Wadhwan, the then Director, and other accused persons allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat the consortium of 17 banks led by Union Bank of India and in pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy the said accused Kapil Wadhwan and others induced the consortium banks to sanction huge loans aggregating to Rs.42, 871.42 crore.
Much of that amount was allegedly siphoned off and misappropriated by alleged falsification of the books of the DHFL and dishonest default in repayment of the legitimate dues of the said consortium banks, the CBI claimed.
The complainant alleged that a wrongful loss of Rs.34, 615 crore was caused to the consortium banks in as much as such was the quantification of the outstanding dues as on July 31, 2020.
