Court accepts charge-sheet against Dr Yunus, 13 others in graft case

A Dhaka court has accepted the charge sheet against Grameen Telecom Chairman Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others in a case filed for embezzling Taka 25 crore from the fund reserved for the workers.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge As-Sams Jaglul Hossain accepted the charge sheet on Tuesday. 

The court also transferred the case to the Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka for trial and fixed May 2 for hearing on charge framing against the accused in the case. 

Earlier on February 1, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy director and investigation officer Gulshan Anwar filed the charge-sheet at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Asaduzzaman.

The anti-graft body on January 29 approved the charge-sheet filed against Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, directors Ashraful Hasan, Naznin Sultana, Parvin Mahmud, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, Sramik-Karmachari Union President Md Kamruzzaman and General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, office secretary Qamrul Islam, lawyers Zafrul Hasan Sharif and Md Yusuf Ali and representative Md Mainul Islam.

ACC on May 30, 2023, filed the case with its Dhaka-1 integrated district office.

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

More than Taka 26 crore was transferred to the account on different occasions, as per ‘fake settlement agreements’ and decision of the board. But before even distributing the share of the company’s profit to the workers, and letting them know, the accused embezzled around Taka 25 crore from the fund.