Appeal for acquittal to be made for Dr Yunus on Sunday

Nobel laureate economist Dr. Muhammad Yunus, along with three other defendants, is set to file an appeal at the Labor Appellate Tribunal on Sunday.

The appeal will present 25 legal arguments in an effort to seek acquittal from the sentence imposed by the Labor Court. Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, the lawyer representing Dr. Yunus, confirmed the matter to Views Bangladesh on Saturday. He stated that he will appear at the Labor Appeal Tribunal tomorrow at 10.00 am to plead for bail on behalf of Dr. Yunus.

Earlier on January 11, a case was filed against four individuals, including Muhammad Yunus, for violating labor laws. The accused were subsequently sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment. The verdict, consisting of 84 pages, was issued by Judge Sheikh Marina Sultana.

According to the detailed judgment, the accused have been found guilty of offenses punishable under Sections 303(5) and 307 of the Act, for violating the provisions of Sections 4(7) (8), 117, and 234 of the Labor Act 2006. The state has successfully proven the crimes committed by the accused beyond any doubt. Consequently, the chairman of Grameen Telecom, Professor Dr Mohammad Yunus, Managing Director Ashraful Hasan, Director Nurjahan Begum, and Md have been sentenced to six months of unpaid work for the offense under Section 303(3) of the aforementioned Act. Additionally, they have been fined Tk5,000 and will face 10 days of imprisonment in default of payment. Furthermore, a fine of tk25,000 has been imposed, along with an additional 15 days of imprisonment, for the offense under Section 307, in case of non-payment.

On January 1, a case was filed against Muhammad Yunus for violating the labor law. The court has now sentenced him to 6 months of unpaid work. However, due to the conditions of appeal, Yunus and the other accused have been granted 1 month of bail. The verdict was announced by Dhaka Labor Court Judge Sheikh Marina Sultana. Alongside Yunus, other defendants in this case, namely Grameen Telecom MD Ashraful Hasan, Director Nurjahan Begum, and Md Shah Jahan, have also been sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment. Additionally, they have each been fined Tk30000. Furthermore, Yunus and the other defendants have been sentenced to 10 days in prison under section 303 (e) of the Labor Act, with a maximum of 6 months' imprisonment without work and a fine of 5 thousand taka. On a separate note, under section 307, the court has sentenced Yunus to 15 days of imprisonment without paying a fine of Tk25000.