Muhammad Yunus Acquitted in High-Profile Graft Case

Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate, was acquitted in a graft case related to the misappropriation of funds from Grameen Telecom's welfare fund. The decision came shortly after Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government. The case withdrawal was approved by Judge Md Rabiul Alam following a request from the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate, was acquitted in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission concerning the misappropriation of funds from Grameen Telecom's welfare fund. This decision emerged three days after Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh's interim government.

Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka ruled to drop the case after the Anti-Corruption Commission sought its withdrawal under the Code of Criminal Procedure. An official from the graft agency confirmed this development, as reported by The Daily Star newspaper.

In a related legal battle, the Labour Appellate Tribunal on August 7 acquitted Yunus and three top Grameen Telecom officials—Ashraful Hassan, M Shahjahan, and Nurjahan Begum—who had faced a six-month imprisonment and a fine under labour law violations. Yunus, now the 84-year-old interim government's chief adviser, will be assisted by a 16-member Council of Advisers, including Begum herself.

(With inputs from agencies.)