The CBI told the CBI Special Court, Haryana, on Thursday that IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal functioned as a close associate of the mastermind of the Rs 657-crore bank scam, Ribhav Rishi, and allegedly received monetary and “unethical” benefits from him. It added that Agarwal’s role “has come to the fore on two separate occasions in two different departments under his charge,” where he facilitated the opening of accounts in violation of guidelines of the state Finance Department and “thereby enabling diversion of government funds”.