A special judge’s court in Bangladesh has indicted Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and 13 others on charges related to an over USD 2 million embezzlement case. Yunus, 83, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering microcredit to help impoverished people, especially women, has pleaded not guilty and is currently out on bail. He stated that authorities were “harassing” him and his colleagues and denied involvement in any corruption.
In a packed courtroom in Dhaka, Special Judge Syed Arafat Hossain dismissed petitions seeking the charges to be dropped, which centers around Yunus’ non-profit Grameen Telecom. The prosecution has accused Yunus and others of embezzling 250 million takas (about USD 2 million) from the workers’ welfare fund of Grameen Telecom, which owns 34.2 per cent of the country’s largest mobile phone company, Grameenphone, a subsidiary of Norway’s telecom giant Telenor. They are also accused of money laundering.
The judge, Hossain, stated that the prosecution was able to preliminarily support their argument and proved the charges of misappropriation of funds and sending money abroad illegally, and announced that the trial is set to begin on July 15.
Back in January, Yunus was sentenced to six months in prison on a separate charge of violating labor laws, but was granted bail while awaiting the verdict. Last year, over 170 global leaders and Nobel laureates urged Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to suspend legal proceedings against Yunus. Yunus’ supporters claim he has been targeted due to his strained relations with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, although the government has denied the allegations.
