By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, April 6, 2018: The investigating agency CBI on Friday questioned the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) former Deputy Governor Harun Rashid Khan, an Odia, in connection with Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud by Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.

Khan was Deputy Governor of the central bank between 2011 and 2016. CBI questioned him in connection with alleged benefits to diamond merchant Choksi’s group of companies following 80:20 gold import scheme brought by the then union finance minister P. Chidambaram on May 13, 2014, barely three days before the counting of votes of 2014 general election.

“CBI wanted to know about the gold import scheme and I have explained them everything during my interaction with them for about 90 minutes or so. I was not entrusted with the job of statutory audit and hence I cannot comment on lapses if any,” Khan on Friday told Bizodisha.com.

A section of press reported that CBI asked him about the lapses in the statutory audit of the central regulator leading to the Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud as the SWIFT messaging system was misused.

Modi, who figured on the list of rich and famous Indians since 2013, along with his group companies — Diamond R US, Stellar Diamond and Solar Exports, uncle and business partner Choksi — the promoter of Gitanjali Group, and others have been named in the scam by the PNB in February, leading to a massive upheaval in the country’s banking system.

Modi left the country along with his family in the first week of January this year, weeks before the scam was reported to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

His wife Ami, a US citizen, left on January 6 and uncle Choksi on January 4.

The CBI in February had approached the Interpol with a request for issuing a Diffusion Notice against Modi to locate him.