In a case of labor law violation, the court has sentenced Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chairman of Grameen Telecom and an economist, to six months of imprisonment with hard labor. Additionally, he has been fined 30,000 taka under two sections. He is also required to serve an additional 15 days of imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
On Monday, Justice Sheikh Marufa Sultan of the Third Labor Court in Dhaka announced the verdict. The court granted them one month's bail under the condition of appealing within five minutes of the verdict.
In this case, three other accused from Grameen Telecom, MD Ashraful Hasan, Director Nurjahan Begum, and Mohammad Shahjahan, have also been given the same punishment by the court. The court observed under the supervision of the verdict that the defense has presented commendable statements for the number one accused. Where he is referred to as an international personality fighting against poverty, Nobel laureate. However, the court emphasized that in this court, Dr. Yunus is being tried as the Chairman of Grameen Telecom, not as a Nobel laureate. At this time, the court mentioned that the violation of labor law against Dr. Yunus and three others has been proven beyond doubt.
Before the verdict, Dr. Yunus and the four accused appeared in court at 1:45 PM. Later, at 2:00 PM, Judge Sheikh Marufa Sultan started reading the 84-page verdict.
Dr. Yunus's lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun and the lawyer of Kalkarokhana and Institution Inspection Office Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan were present in court during the verdict.
Apart from the verdict, Alokchitri Shahidul Alam, his wife and activist Rahnuma Ahmed, political analyst and Dhaka University professor Asif Nazrul, and Barrister Sara Hossain were present in court to hear the judgment.
The observation of the court regarding the verdict is significant for strengthening security in the surrounding areas of the Labor Court. In this case, the Labor Court and the adjacent areas have been under tight security.
The case in question started on August 22, and after the completion of the testimonies, the defense made a favorable statement on November 8. Afterward, arguments and counterarguments began in the case. On May 8, the Appellate Division rejected Dr. Yunus's leave to appeal against the cancellation of the case. The court then issued an order to initiate proceedings against him and three others in the case of labor law violation. On September 9, 2021, the Labor Court of Dhaka took cognizance of the labor inspector's complaint against Dr. Yunus and three others.
