Embezzlement case against Prof Yunus: SC adjourns hearing until Oct 21

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today adjourned until October 21 the hearing of a leave to appeal petition challenging a High Court order that upheld indictment against Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and six officials of Grameen Telecom in a corruption case.

Prof Yunus and six other officials of the Grameen Telecom on August 25 filed the leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the SC, challenging the HC order.

The six Grameen Telecom officials are Managing Director Nazmul Islam, and Directors Ashraful Hassan, Naznin Sultana, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum, and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee.

Today, a full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed passed the order after holding hearing on the arguments from Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and petitioners' lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun.

The court also asked the lawyer for the petitioners to move the leave to appeal petition on October 21 with additional grounds.

The graft case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission on May 30, 2023 against Prof Yunus and 13 others on charge of misappropriating around Tk 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund, and money laundering.

On July 24, the HC summarily rejected a petition filed by Prof Yunus and six others challenging a Dhaka court's order that framed charges against them in the case.

The HC also ordered the lower court concerned to finish the trial proceedings of the case in next one year.

Earlier on June 12, a Dhaka court framed charges against Yunus and 13 others in the case.