ACC okays chargesheet against Dr Yunus, 13 others

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday approved a chargesheet against the then Grameen Telecom chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others in a graft case.

The Commission at its regular meeting gave the clearance to submit the chargesheet against them, ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain told reporters at the ACC headquarters in the capital.

On 30 May 2023, ACC Deputy Director Md Gulshan Anwar filed the case with its Dhaka-1 integrated district office against Yunus and 12 others for allegedly embezzling Tk25 crore from the company.

The other accused in the case are Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, its directors Ashraful Hasan, Naznin Sultana, Parvin Mahmud, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, Sramik-Karmachari Union President Md Kamruzzaman and its General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, lawyers Zafrul Hasan Sharif and Yusuf Ali and representative Md Mainul Islam.

According to the case statement, a decision was made at the company's 108th board meeting, presided over by Dr Yunus on 9 May 2022 to open a bank account at Gulshan branch of Dhaka Bank. But it was found that the account was opened a day before the decision was even made.

Over Tk26 crore was transferred to the account on different occasions, as per "fake settlement agreements" and decision of the board. But, before even distributing the share of the company's profit to the workers, and letting them know, the accused in collusion with each other embezzled about Tk25 crore from the fund.