A Dhaka court on Sunday set June 12 for passing its order on charge framing in a case against Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others for allegedly embezzling Taka 25 crore from the company and laundering abroad.
Judge Syed Arafat Hossain of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 set the date as public prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kazal today took part in the indictment hearing and pleaded for framing charges against the accused. The defence, however, argued for acquitting the accused from the charges.
After hearing both sides, the court set June 12 for passing its order.
The 14 accused in the case are- Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Telecom Managing Director (MD) Nazmul Islam, Directors Ashraful Hasan, Naznin Sultana, Parvin Mahmud, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and Professor SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, President of ‘Grameen Telecom Sramik-Karmachari Union Md Kamruzzaman and its General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, lawyers Zafrul Hasan Sharif and Yusuf Ali, Union’s representative Md Mainul Islam and Jatiya Workers Federation’s Office Secretary Kamrul Hasan.
Dr Muhammad Yunus earlier appeared before the court and sought acquittal from a case charge filed against him over misappropriation of about Tk 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers’ profit participation fund.
His lawyer Abdullah-Al-Mamun submitted a petition seeking acquittal of Dr Yunus and 13 other from the case charge.
The investigation officer in the case and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy director Gulshan Anwar on February 1 filed the charge sheet against 14 accused.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on April 2, 2024, took into cognizance the charge sheet filed in the case and sent the case to Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 for further proceedings.
According to the case documents, 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 at the Gulshan branch of Dhaka Bank Limited. However, it was found that the account was opened a day before the decision was even made.
Over Taka 26 crore was transferred to the account on different occasions, as per ‘fake settlement agreements’. 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.
