Dr Yunus seeks cancellation of charge framing

Nobel Laureate economist Dr Muhammad Yunus filed an application with the High Court seeking cancellation of charge framing order in a money laundering case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Abdullah Al Mamun, lawyer of Dr Muhammad Yunus, filed the application on Monday (July 8).

The High Court bench comprising Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ibadat Hossain will hold hearing on the issue.

Earlier on June 12, the court framed charges against Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others in a case over the embezzlement of around Tk25 crore from dividends reserved for Grameen Telecom workers.

On April 2, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain accepted the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) charge sheet against Dr Yunus and 13 others in the graft case.

Later, an order for the transfer of the case to Special Judge Court-4 for trial was given.

On February 1, the investigating officer of the case, ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, filed the charge sheet against the 14 individuals in the court.

In May last year, Gulshan Anwar filed the case with the anti-graft body’s integrated district office in Dhaka.

Besides Dr Yunus, other accused in the case are Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, its directors Ashraful Hasan, Naznin Sultana, Parvin Mahmud, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum, and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, Sramik-Karmachari Union President Md Kamruzzaman, General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, representative Md Mainul Islam, Jatiya Sramik Federation Office Secretary Kamrul Hasan, and lawyers Zafrul Hasan Sharif and Yusuf Ali.

According to the case statement, a decision was made at the company’s 108th board meeting, presided over by Dr Yunus, on May 9, 2022, to open a bank account with the Gulshan branch of Dhaka Bank. However, it was found that the account had already been opened a day before the meeting.

Over Tk26 crore was transferred to the account on different occasions, as per “fake settlement agreements” and the decision of the board.

However, before distributing the share of the company’s profit to the workers and informing them, the accused, in collusion with each other, embezzled about Tk25 crore from the fund.