Friday, 29 September, 2023
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Embezzlement of Workers’ Welfare Fund

ACC sues Dr Yunus

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against Grameen Telecom Chairman Dr Muhammad Yunus and 12 others on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in embezzling more than Tk 252.2 million from the workers’ welfare fund.

Gulshan Anwar Prodhan, deputy director of the anti-corruption watchdog, lodged the case with its Dhaka district coordination office-1.

Later, Rezanur Rahman, director general (admin) of the ACC, informed the media of the matter at a press conference at the ACC’s head office in Segunbagicha in the capital.

According to the case statement, the company didn’t distribute the allotted Tk 455.2 million to their employees from the workers’ welfare fund. They rather embezzled the money. Besides this, Tk 29.77 billion was transferred to different bank accounts belonging to the associated organisations in a bid to launder the funds.

In the press conference, ACC Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said the deputy director general of the department of inspection for factories and establishments sent a report to the ACC that contained allegations against the board of directors of Grameen Telecom.

Later, a three-member body was formed on 28 July to investigate the matter. As part of the investigation, the ACC questioned the six directors of the company in several phases.

In the investigation, they have found Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus guilty.

Rezwanur said the name of Dr Yunus has come up again and again in the investigation.

The other accused are managing director of Grameen Telecom Md Nazmul Islam, former managing director Md Ashraful Hasan, five directors Parveen Mahmud, Nazneen Sultana, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and SM Hajjatul Islam Latifi, Md Yusuf Ali and Zafrul Hasan Sharif, Grameen Telecom workers union president Md Kamruzzaman, general secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan and representative Md Mainul Islam.