Dr Yunus jailed for 6 months

Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus

Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chairman of Grameen Telecom, along with three others, was sentenced to six months in prison today by a labour court for breaching labour regulations.

The ruling was issued by Judge Sheikh Merina Sultana of the 3rd Labour Court in Dhaka at approximately 3:05 pm, with the defendants present.

"In this case, we prosecuted the chairman of Grameen Telecom, not Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The allegations against the four individuals were established beyond a reasonable doubt," declared the judge during the verdict.

The other individuals convicted include Md Ashraful Hasan, director and former managing director of Grameen Telecom, and board members Nur Jahan Begum and Md Shahjahan. Post-verdict, the court granted bail to all four.

The verdict date was set on December 24, with the final judgment pronounced today. Dr. Yunus arrived at the court around 1:40 pm with his legal team. The judge commenced the summary reading of the 84-page judgment at 2:15 pm.

The case was initiated by DIFE Inspector Arifuzzaman on September 9, 2021. The court framed the charges on June 6, 2023, after which four prosecution witnesses, including the plaintiff, testified over several hearings.

The DIFE's inspection of Grameen Telecom revealed multiple labour law violations, including the failure to regularize 101 employees, establish a welfare fund for workers, and distribute five percent of the company's dividends to its employees.

DIFE's lawyer, Khurshid Alam Khan, had earlier stated their intention to seek maximum penalties for Dr. Yunus and the other convicts.