Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Granted Bail In Labour Law Case, Faces Fresh Corruption Charges

The ACC accused the 83-year-old economist and 13 others of misappropriating approximately Tk 25.22 crore (USD 2.29 million) from Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund.

File Photo Of Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh's anti-graft agency has filed a charge sheet against Nobel Laureate economist Dr Muhammad Yunus on fresh corruption charges, shortly after a court granted him bail for breaching labour laws. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) accused the 83-year-old economist and 13 others of misappropriating approximately Tk 25.22 crore (USD 2.29 million) from Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund, according to PTI.

Yunus, the chairman of Grameen Telecom, which he established as a non-profit organisation, is among the defendants, including its directors, managing director, and employees' trade union leaders.

An ACC spokesman informed reporters that they had filed the charge sheet against Yunus and 13 others at the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court of Dhaka.

The court scheduled March 3 for an indictment hearing in the case.

Law Minister Anisul Huq refuted claims of harassing Yunus, stating the government did not fabricate any false cases against him.

"Dr Yunus was warned and advised to prevent these violations, but he ignored them. So, the Labour Department filed a lawsuit," Huq explained. "No one is above the law, and if someone commits a crime, they must face the law," he added, according to PTI.

Earlier, ACC Secretary Mahmub Hossain mentioned that the proceedings against Yunus stemmed from complaints by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments. The statutory graft agency filed the charge sheet after extensive investigation.

Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty efforts, is confronted with over 150 other cases, including major corruption charges that could result in imprisonment if proven guilty. The economist denies all allegations.

Last week, an appeals court granted bail to Yunus, who received a six-month prison sentence on January 1 for violating the country's labour laws. The court also agreed to hear an appeal against his sentence.

The recent development follows concerns expressed by over 241 global leaders, including 125 Nobel laureates, regarding the "continuous judicial harassment and potential jailing" of Yunus in a third open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, denounced the January 1 verdict as "a travesty of justice".

Khan emphasized that the social activist, "who brought honour and pride to the country, is being persecuted on frivolous grounds." The letter, signed by global leaders, including former US President Barack Obama, echoed Khan's sentiment, criticizing the rushed legal process and inconsistent application of Bangladesh's laws.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also reacted to the verdict, stating, "Bangladeshis deserve a government that honours and supports -- rather than persecutes -- its most esteemed citizens". 

Hasina's Awami League party secured a record fourth consecutive term in the general election held on January 7.

International rights groups, including Amnesty International, condemned the verdict, while several prominent Bangladeshi civil society figures decried Yunus's exposure to legal "harassment".

Responding to the previous global leaders' letter, Hasina proposed that experts, including lawyers, examine all documents related to Yunus and his cases to determine any wrongdoing or wrongful prosecution. The global leaders accepted her proposal in their third letter, published as a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post.

The economist has been in a prolonged dispute with the incumbent government since 2008. Investigations against him were launched after Hasina's government came to power, with many attributing her anger to Yunus's announcement of forming a political party in 2007, during a military-backed government, while she was in prison.

Although Yunus did not follow through on the plan, he criticized politicians in the country, alleging their sole interest was in making money.