https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/sc-scraps-graft-case-against-yunus-six-others-3878096

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed the proceedings of a corruption case against Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, chairman of Grameen Telecom, and six other officials.

A four-member bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the verdict after allowing an appeal, filed by Yunus and the six others, challenging a High Court order that had upheld their indictment in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

The full text of the Supreme Court's verdict, which will provide detailed reasoning, is yet to be released.

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 ACC had filed the case on May 30, 2023, accusing Yunus and 13 others of misappropriating approximately Tk 25.22 crore from the Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund and engaging in money laundering.

The Appellate Division concluded hearings on the appeal on March 19 and fixed April 23 (yesterday) for delivering the verdict.

Contacted, Barrister Abdullah-Al-Mamun, principal lawyer for Dr Yunus and the six others, said following the Appellate Division's verdict, it has been proved that the case filed against his clients was false, baseless and fabricated, and that the HC verdict was wrong.

Replying to a question, he said Prof Yunus had been cleared of all the cases filed against him. However, an appeal challenging an HC verdict that scrapped a case filed by 106 former workers of Grameen Kalyan, demanding a share of its net profit from 2006 to 2013, is pending with the Appellate Division.

During the hearing, Barrister Abdullah-Al-Mamun and Barrister Khaja Tanvir Ahmed appeared for Yunus and the other appellants, while Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and Advocate Ashif Hassan represented the state and the ACC respectively.

On June 12 last year, a Dhaka court framed charges against Yunus and 13 others in the case.

On July 24, the High Court summarily rejected a petition filed by Yunus and six others challenging the lower court's order framing the charges.

The HC also ordered the court to complete the trial proceedings of the case within one year.

On August 11, Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka exonerated Yunus, Nurjahan -- also an adviser to the interim government -- and 12 other accused after the ACC applied for the withdrawal of the case under Section 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The anti-graft watchdog approved the withdrawal after scrutinising an application submitted by the case's investigating officer and other related records.