Bank demanded bribe: Private firm director after CBI raid

On Thursday, CBI sleuths conducted searches at five locations linked to the promoters of SLO Industries Limited and Aran Steels Pvt Ltd. While the former is into metal and chemicalmanufacturing, Aran Steels is into trading activities. It may be noted that the bank has already initiated the process to auction all their pledged immovable properties after giving notice to three directors of the firms. 

However, SLO Industries director Anil Kumar Ojha alleged that the bank officials had demanded a bribe to sanction a Rs 50 crore loan in 2014. According to him, the then chairman of the bank demanded the bribe to sanction the loan which he had refused to pay. “The bank later blacklisted my firms over this and we faced financial troubles and loss of business worth crores of rupees because of this. I have written to the RBI, Central Vigilance Commission and the PM’s Office seeking an inquiry into the corrupt practices of the bank,” he said. 

“We had taken loans amounting to Rs 201 crore between 2003 and 2014, and have paid nearly Rs 112 crore as interest alone. But I have not paid interest after 2014 and we approached the court. Now, the bank has lodged a complaint with the CBI,” he added. 

In another development, CBI’s Economic Offence Wing, Chennai, has registered a case against a former branch head of Repco bank, Dharmapuri, and unknown public servants for misappropriation of loans. CBI said that the accused official P Kamala Kannan, entered into a criminal conspiracy with unknown personswhile working as branch head of the bank from 2014 to 2017, abused his official position to commita criminal breach of trust and embezzlemoney to the tune of Rs1.41 crorewithout the knowledge of borrowers.