Dr Yunus gets bail in graft case

A Dhaka court on Thursday accepted the bail petition of Nobel Laureate economist Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 other accused in a case filed over misappropriation of Tk 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers’ Profit Participation Fund.

Dhaka Special Judges Court-4 Judge Sayed Arafat Hossain granted them the bail in the case following an application filed by Dr Yunus’s lawyer this morning.

The judge fixed June 2 for hearing on charge framing in the case.

The other accused are 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.

Around 11:20am on Thursday, Dr Muhammad Yunus reached the court and sought bail.

On April 3, Judge Mohammad As-Shams Jaglul Hossain of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court took the chargesheet into cognisance for beginning the trial against Dr Yunus and 13 others in the money laundering case.

On  February 1, the Anti-Corruption Commission submitted the chargesheet against the 14 persons accusing them of misappropriation of Tk 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers’ Profit Participation Fund.

Deputy Director of ACC, Gulshan Anwar, filed the case on May 30 last year as the complainant.