Nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus and six other accused have filed a petition with the High Court seeking quashment of case filed against them.
Admitting the petition, the High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadoth Hossain on Tuesday fixed Wednesday for holding hearing on it.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, a counsel of the petitioners, told the FE that they have challenged the charge framing in the case and also sought cancellation of the case at the same time.
Earlier on June 12 this year, a Dhaka court framed charges against Prof Yunus and 13 others in a case filed on charge of embezzling and laundering Tk 252.2 million of Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund.
Judge of the Special Judge's Court no 4 in Dhaka, Syed Arafat Hossain, passed the order after a detail hearing on charge framing.
Prof Yunus and other accused, now on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after the judge read out the charges to them.
Before that, the judge dismissed three petitions submitted for discharging them from the charges. It also fixed July 15 for starting testimony in the case.
Charges were also framed against Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, former Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, Directors Nazneen Sultana, Parveen Mahmud, M Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum, and Professor S M Huzzatul Islam Latifee.
The accused list also included lawyers Md Yousuf Ali and Jafrul Hasan Sharif, 'Grameen Telecom Sramik-Karmachari Union' President Md Kamruzzaman, Union's Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hassan and Union's representative Mainul Islam, and Jatiya Workers Federation's Office Secretary Kamrul Hasan.
Investigation Officer of the case, Gulshan Anwar Prodhan, also a Deputy Director of the ACC, on February 1 in 2024 submitted the charge-sheet against Prof Yunus and 13 others in the case filed.
Earlier on May 30, 2023, Gulshan Anwar filed the case against Prof Yunus and 12 others with the ACC's Integrated District Office no 1 in Dhaka. Accused Kamrul Hasan's name was included after investigation.
It was alleged in the case that the accused embezzled Tk 252.2 million and transferred it illegally which is an offence under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
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