Grameen Bank’s founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus expressed his discontent on Sunday at finding himself in the iron cage of the court during the hearing on charge framing in a money embezzlement case. 

“I had to stand in an iron cage and in the witness box of the court for the first time. This is just a part of a cursed life,” he said while talking to reporters after hearing the charge sheet at Dhaka's Special Judge’s Court-4.

The court has set June 12 for the charge framing order in the graft case filed against Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others.

On 1 February, the investigating officer of the case, ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, submitted the charge sheet against Dr Yunus and 14 others.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on 2 April 2024 took into cognisance the charge sheet filed in the case and sent the case to Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 for further proceedings.

Dr Yunus said, “We all know about the Nobel Peace Prize. Two Nobel Prizes have been bestowed, one in my name and another in the name of Grameen Bank. Both carry equal significance. There is no precedent in world history for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecuting one Nobel laureate against another."

“The allegations against me have no basis, no truth,” he added.

“Dr Yunus is not guilty. The airport was opened for Benazir; his money was withdrawn from the bank. PK Haldar was released with money. S Alam was released with lakhs of crores of taka. All these criminals remain scot-free. It is clear that Dr Yunus is being personally targeted,” said Yunus's lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun.