Embezzlement case: SC allows Yunus, 6 others of Grameen Telecom to appeal

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today allowed the interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and six officials of Grameen Telecom to move an appeal before this court challenging a High Court order that upheld the indictment against them in an embezzlement case.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed also set November 19 to hold hearing of the appeal.
The bench passed the order following a leave to appeal petition filed by Nobel Laureate Yunus and six others of Grameen Telecom challenging the HC order.
The six Grameen Telecom officials are Managing Director Nazmul Islam, and Directors Ashraful Hassan, Naznin Sultana, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum, and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee.
The case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission on May 30, 2023 against Yunus and 13 others on charge of misappropriating around Tk 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers’ Profit Participation Fund, and money laundering.
On July 24, the HC summarily rejected a petition filed by Prof Yunus and six others challenging a Dhaka court’s order that framed charges against them in the case.
The HC also ordered the lower court concerned to finish the trial proceedings of the case in next one year.
Yunus and six others on August 25 filed the leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division challenging the HC order.
On August 11, Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge’s Court-4 of Dhaka acquitted Prof Yunus, Nurjahan, also an adviser to the interim government, and 12 others accused after the ACC applied with the court, seeking withdrawal of prosecution of the case under Section 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Amir Hossain, an ACC official working in the court, told The Daily Star on that day.
Earlier on August 11, the anti-graft watchdog approved the withdrawal of the persecution of the case after scrutinising an application submitted by the case investigating officer and other case records, Amir added.
A day before his oath on August 8, Prof Yunus, also chairman of Grameen Telecom, and its directors — Ashraful Hassan, M Shahjahan and Nurjahan Begum — also got acquittal in a labour law violation case in which they were sentenced to six months imprisonment and fined Tk 30,000 each on January 1.
The seven other accused in the case Grameen Telecom Directors Parvin Mahmud, Sramik-Karmachari Union President Kamruzzaman, General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, and representative Mainul Islam, Jatiya Workers Federation Office Secretary Kamrul Hasan, and lawyers Zafrul Hasan Sharif and Md Yousuf Ali.
Earlier on June 12, a Dhaka court framed charges against Yunus and 13 others in the case.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun appeared for Dr Yunus and six others, while Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the state and lawyer MA Aziz Khan stood for the ACC during hearing today.