Bangladesh Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus charged in corruption case

By Faisal Mahmud

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A court in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on Wednesday formally charged the country’s lone Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus and 13 others with embezzling 252.2 million taka ($2.2 million) from a welfare fund.

Judge Syed Arafat Hossain issued the order after denying a petition to dismiss the charges against the accused, their lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed.

Yunus is accused of misappropriating the amount from the Grameen Telecom Workers' welfare fund. He is known worldwide as the founder of Grameen Bank through which he has conducted pioneering work in microcredit.

In 2011, he was removed from his position as the bank's managing director by the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, citing his exceeding the legal retirement age of 60.

At present, the 83-year old is entangled in over 100 cases related to labor violations and corruption accusations, which he has dismissed as baseless fabrications.

Just right before the national elections in January, a court in Dhaka sentenced Yunus to six months in prison for alleged labor law violations, charges he denied.

Yunus and the 13 other defendants, currently out on bail, have entered pleas of not guilty and asserted their right to a fair trial.

Abdullah Al Mamun, the economist's lawyer, said the case is politically motivated and lacks legal basis. He told Anadolu they would appeal the charges in the High Court.

Anti Corruption Commission Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol told the media that the charges against Yunus could result in a sentence ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.

A conviction on the money laundering charges, meanwhile, could lead to a sentence of four to 12 years for the nobel laureate, he added.