Bangladesh interim PM Muhammad Yunus acquitted in corruption case 3 days after taking oath
In a surprise development on Saturday, Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, was acquitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission in a case of misappropriation of funds from the Grameen Telecom Workers and Employees Welfare Fund. The case came three days after he was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, according to media reports.
Judge Mohammad Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4 gave the order after accepting the Anti-Corruption Agency’s application. The anti-corruption agency had sought withdrawal of the case under the Code of Criminal Procedure, an official of the anti-corruption agency was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.
On August 7, the Labour Appellate Tribunal acquitted Nobel laureate and three top officials of Grameen Telecom – Ashraful Hasan, M Shahjahan and Noorjahan Begum – of labour law violations in which they were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of Tk 30,000 each in January.
Who is Mohammad Yunus?
Yunus, an 84-year-old economist, was on Thursday sworn in as the chief adviser to the interim government – a position equivalent to that of a prime minister. Noor Jahan Begum, who was also accused in the corruption case, is a member of the 16-member advisory council that will assist Yunus in running state affairs.
