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TL;DR
- Dr. Muhammad Yunus refuses to withdraw a corruption case against him, citing power misuse.
- The Appellate Division has scheduled a hearing for September 2 regarding his legal challenge.
- He faces allegations of embezzling 250 million Taka in employee dividends from Grameen Telecom.
- The ACC claims no formal application for case withdrawal was submitted, raising judicial concerns.
Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the interim government, has stated that he does not wish to withdraw the case against him, which he claims is a result of power misuse. The Appellate Division has scheduled a hearing for September 2 regarding a leave to appeal against the dismissal of his petition challenging the legality of the charges filed in a corruption case by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The case involves allegations of embezzlement of approximately 250 million Taka in dividends belonging to the employees of Grameen Telecom. The hearing on this matter took place in the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, where partial arguments were heard today.
During the hearing, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun represented Dr. Yunus and pointed out that the ACC withdrew the case against him and 14 others on August 11, according to Section 494 of the Criminal Procedure Code. In contrast, Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman asserted that following his appointment as Chief Adviser, Dr. Yunus misused his power to have the ACC withdraw the case. He emphasized that Dr. Yunus intends to handle this matter lawfully.
Counsel for the ACC, Advocate A.K.M. Fazlul Haque, countered by stating that a formal application for withdrawal had not been submitted as per legal requirements. Chief Justice Ahmed expressed surprise at this situation, questioning whether it amounted to “judicial anarchy.”
Previously, on July 24, the High Court had ruled that the corruption case against Dr. Yunus would proceed, subsequently requesting a copy of that order, which was not provided. This led to the Appellate Division setting another hearing date for Monday.
Dr. Yunus had earlier filed a petition in the High Court challenging the legality of the charges against him in connection with the alleged embezzlement of Grameen Telecom employees’ dividends. On June 12, charges were formally framed against him and 14 others in this ongoing case.
Source: TBS News
