Dr Yunus to appeal with HC against indictment, says lawyer

Nobel Laureate Prize-winning Grameen Telecom Chairman Muhammad Yunus will appeal to the High Court (HC) against his indictment in a case over embezzlement from dividends for the company's employees, his lawyers said.
The court of Dhaka 4th Special Judge Syed Arafat Hossain indicted Yunus and 13 others in the case on Wednesday.
Yunus's lawyer Barrister Abdul Al Mamun said on Thursday, "We are preparing to go to the HC. We will challenge the validity of the indictment and seek a cancellation of the order after Eid-ul-Azha."
When asked whether the appeal would be a writ or quash, he said, "It could be a writ, a quash or a review application."
Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, initiated the case in 2023. According to his probe report, the accused 'embezzled' over Tk 250 million from the Grameen Telecom workers' welfare fund. The money has been 'transferred illegally', which is a crime per the country's money laundering prevention law.
According to the case dossiers, an account was opened at Dhaka Bank's Gulshan branch in the presence of Grameen Telecom board members including Yunus and Managing Director Md Nazmul Islam following the decision of the 108th board held on May 9, 2022. However, the bank account was opened a day earlier.
A settlement agreement was signed between the Grameen Telecom Employees Union and Grameen Telecom on April 27 of that year to distribute dividends owed to Grameen Telecom employees.