In a shocking development, Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate economist, Dr Muhammad Yunus, has been sentenced to six months in jail by a court on charges of violating labor laws. The court, led by Labour Court judge Sheikh Merina Sultana, deemed the allegations proven and not barred by limitation.
Yunus, 83, present in court, faces non-rigorous imprisonment as the Grameen Telecom chairman, along with three other executives. Each of them has been fined Taka 25,000, with a threat of 10 additional days in jail for non-payment.
Following the verdict, Yunus and his colleagues swiftly applied for bail, which the judge granted for one month upon a Taka 5,000 bond. They have the option to appeal in the High Court.
Yunus, renowned for his microfinance initiatives and Nobel Peace Prize-winning anti-poverty campaign in 2006, faced accusations of labor law violation for not establishing a workers’ welfare fund in Grameen Telecom. The verdict is met with claims of being “politically motivated” by Yunus’s supporters, amidst a prolonged dispute with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government since 2008.
