ACC sues Muhammad Yunus

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday filed a case against 13 people including Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus on charges of embezzling Tk 25.22 crore from the workers profit participation fund.

The anti-graft watchdog’s Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, also inquiry officer of the allegation, filed the case with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1 under sections 409,420,467,468,471 and 109 of Penal Code and section 4 (2) (3) of Prevention of money laundering Act.

The others accused are Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, its directors Ashraful Hassan, Parveen Mahmud, Nazeen Sultana, Md Shajahan, Nurjahan Begum, SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, lawyers of the workers’ union of Grameen Telecom Md Yousuf Ali and Zafrul Hasan Sharif, and Grameen Telecom workers and employees union president Md Kamruzzman, its General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, and the union’s representative Mainul Islam.

After the case, ACC acting secretary Rezwanur Rahman at a press briefing at the commission’s headquarters said the commission conducted an inquiry as per the law following a complaint over embezzlement of Grameen Telecom’s employees’ welfare fund.

During the inquiry, the commission found embezzlement and money laundering of Tk 25.22 as a case was filed against 13 accused including Dr Muhammad Yunus, he said.

In response to a question, the ACC official also said, during the investigation, the statements of all those related to the complaint were recorded.

According to the case statement, as per the decision of the 108th board meeting of Grameen Telecom held on May 9, last year in the presence of its chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director Md Nazmul Islam, an account was opened on May 8 at the Gulshan branch of Dhaka Bank Ltd.

A settlement agreement was signed between Grameen Telecom Employees Union and Grameen Telecom on April 27, 2022, for the distribution of dividends to the Grameen Telecom employees.

Grameen Telecom’s board meeting decision to open the account was on May 9 but the bank account was opened a day earlier. The settlement agreement was April 27, 2022 but the agreement shows the bank account opened on May 8, 2022 which is actually impossible, said the case statement.

As per the terms of the settlement agreement and following the decision of the 108th board meeting of Grameen Telecom, Tk 437 crore was transferred from the telecom’s bank accounts at United Commercial Bank Ltd and Dhaka Bank on May 10, 2022.

Later, as per the decision in the 109th board meeting held on June 22, 2022, an additional payment of Tk 1,63,91,389.00 was approved. A total of Tk 26,22,06,780.00 was transferred on different dates from Grameen Telecom’s Dhaka Bank Gulshan Branch to the account of the Grameen Telecom workers’ employees union.

However, before distributing the dividend to the employees, a total of Tk 3 crore was transferred to the account of CBA leader Md Kamruzzman, Tk 3 crore to the account of CBA leader Mainul Islam and Tk 3 crore was transferred to the bank account of CBA Leader Feroz Mahmud with the intention of misappropriating the amount.

Similarly, Tk 4 crore was transferred to the account of Advocate Md. Yusuf Ali’s Commercial Bank of Ceylon Dhanmondi Branch and Tk 5 crore transferred to the account of his City Bank’s Gulshan Branch.

Apart from this, Tk 6 crore was also transferred to the joint bank account of advocate Jafarul Hasan Sharif and Advocate Yusuf Ali at the Gulshan North Branch of Standard Chartered Bank. They do not deserve the amount, said the FIR

The case statement also said the records show that only Tk 1 crore was actually transferred as advocate fees while the rest of Tk 25,22,06,780.00 was embezzled by the CBA leaders and lawyers with the help of Grameen telecom chairman, Managing Director and board members violating conditions of the settlement agreement which is an offence punishable under relevant sections of the Penal Code and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.