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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday submitted the charge sheet against Noble Laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others in a case filed on charge of embezzling and laundering Tk 252.2 million of Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund.
The investigation officer of the case, Gulshan Anwar Prodhan, also a Deputy Director of the ACC, submitted the charge sheet before the Judge of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka, Md Asaduzzaman.
ACC Assistant Director (Prosecution) Aminul Islam confirmed the matter. Earlier on January 29, 2024, the ACC approved the charge sheet against Prof Yunus and 13 others.
The 13 other accused are Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, former Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, Directors Nazneen Sultana, Parveen Mahmud, M Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum, and Professor SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, lawyers Md Yousuf Ali and Jafrul Hasan Sharif, ‘Grameen Telecom Sramik-Karmachari Union’ President Md Kamruzzaman, Union’s Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hassan and Union’s representative Mainul Islam, and Jatiya Workers Federation’s Office Secretary Kamrul Hasan.
Among the charge-sheeted accused, Kamrul Hasan’s name was included after the investigation. The other accused’s names were mentioned in the first information report of the case.
Only Parveen Mahmud secured bail in the case. Grameen Telecom Chairman Prof Yunus, Nazmul, Ashraful, Naznin, Shahjahan, Nurjahan, Huzzatul, Kamruzzaman, Firoz, Mainul, Kamrul, Sharif and Yusuf have been shown as fugitives. The investigator also appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against the fugitives.
Aminul Islam said the court admitted the charge sheet and fixed March 3, 2024, for further proceedings of the case.
On May 30, 2023, Gulshan Anwar filed the case against Prof Yunus and 12 others with the ACC's Integrated District Office-1 in Dhaka.
It was alleged in the case that the accused embezzled Tk 252.2 million and transferred it illegally, which is an offence under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, a counsel of Prof Yunus said, “The disputed money is the claimed money by the employees of Grameen Telecom and it was paid to them through mediation. The employees paid their lawyers’ fees with that money. No occurrence of embezzlement or laundering took place while transferring that money.”
Earlier on January 1, 2024, the Third Labour Court in Dhaka sentenced Prof Yunus, also the
Chairman of Grameen Telecom, and three other top officials of the organisation to six months’ imprisonment in a case filed against them on charge of violating the labour law.
Judge of the Third Labour Court in Dhaka, Sheikh Merina Sultana, delivered the verdict after concluding the trial proceedings of the case, filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).
Later on January 28, acting chairman of the Labour Appellate Tribunal in Dhaka, Md Abdul Awal, admitted their appeal petition and extended their bail till the disposal of the appeal.