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The Nobel laureate and Grameen Telecom chairman is accused of embezzling Tk 252.20 million from his employees
Published : 12 Jun 2024, 12:01 PM
A Dhaka court has indicted Nobel laureate and Grameen Telecom Chairman Dr Muhammad Yunus in a case over the embezzlement of Tk 252.2 million from dividends for the company’s employees.
The court of Dhaka 4th Special Judge Syed Arafat ordered the charges against Yunus and 13 others to proceed to trial on Wednesday.
According to the procedure, those accused in the case were read the charges during the hearing. They declared they were innocent and demanded a fair trial. The judge then set Jul 15 for the first hearing of the trial.
The 13 others accused in the case alongside Yunus are Grameen Telecom's Director Parveen Mahmud, Managing Director Md Nazmul Islam, Director and former managing director Md Ashraful Hassan; Nazneen Sultana, Md Shahjahan, Noorjahan Begum, and Director SM Hazzatul Islam Latifi, Advocate Md Yusuf Ali, Advocate Jafrul Hasan Shareef, Grameen Telecom Workers-Employees Union President Md Kamruzzaman, the organisation’s General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, representative Md Mainul Islam and Office Secretary Kamrul Hassan.
Senior lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol represented the Anti-Corruption Commission at the hearing, while Barrister Abdul Al Mamun, Shaheenur Islam Ani, and several others represented the defence.
The ACC filed the charge sheet against the 14 suspects on Feb 1, a month after a labour tribunal sentenced the 83-year-old microcredit pioneer and three others to six months in jail for labour law violations. They secured bail after the conviction, pending an appeal.
Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for their work to “create social and economic development from below” through microcredit.
He was removed as its managing director in 2011 over his age. Yunus mounted a legal battle for control of the microcredit organisation but lost.
The lawsuit followed an audit report by the Directorate of Factories and Establishments in early 2023, which prompted the ACC to conduct an investigation.
During a previous hearing, Yunus' attorney argued that Grameen Telecom had resolved its issues with the workers, referring to a Tk 4.37 billion payment made to them as part of a settlement.
However, the ACC lawyer challenged the argument, saying that the case in question was not about the Tk 4.37 billion settlement.
"The charges relate to the embezzlement of Tk 260 million and money laundering. The accused gave the money to trade union leaders instead of the workers, thereby depriving the ordinary workers of their rightful earnings."
On Jun 2, after a hearing of the embezzlement case, Yunus told reporters:
“In the epics, the gods and goddesses sometimes curse people. I feel like I have become a part of such an epic. Some gods have cursed me. They are displeased with me. We are here at the ACC because of this curse.”
“This is the first time I have had to stand in an iron cage at the dock. It was a sight to behold. It is a memorable event in my life to be standing inside an iron cage in the court dock. It is a part of a cursed life.”
