Yunus granted permission to appeal in embezzlement case

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday allowed the interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and six officials of Grameen Telecom to move an appeal before this court challenging a High Court order that upheld the indictment against them in an embezzlement case.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed also set November 19 to hold hearing of the appeal.

The bench passed the order following a leave to appeal petition filed by Nobel Laureate Yunus and six others of Grameen Telecom 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.

The case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission on May 30, 2023 against 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.