Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for Nobel laureate Yunus

Published October 10, 2019
Yunus, who is chairman of GC, did not attend the hearing as he was abroad. — AFP/File
Yunus, who is chairman of GC, did not attend the hearing as he was abroad. — AFP/File

Bangladeshi economist and Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus has been issued with an arrest warrant after failing to appear at a hearing over the sacking of workers at a company he heads, officials said on Thursday.

A judge at a court in Dhaka issued the order on Wednesday as sacked workers from Grameen Communications (GC) lodged a complaint saying they were fired because they set up a trade union, court clerk M. Nuruzzaman told AFP.

Yunus, who is chairman of GC, did not attend the hearing as he was abroad.

The chief executive officer and a senior manager at the company appeared at the court and secured bail, Nuruzzaman said.

“He (Yunus) left Bangladesh before receiving any summons for appearing before the court. As soon as he returns, an appropriate legal step shall be taken,” Yunus's lawyer Kazi Ershadul Alam told AFP.

The 79-year-old former economics professor who founded the pioneering poverty-busting micro lender Grameen Bank, has been at odds with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since 2007 when he made a brief foray into the country's highly polarised politics.

In 2011, he was sacked as the head of Grameen Bank, in a move widely believed to have been orchestrated by Hasina. He challenged his sacking in the highest court, but lost.

Yunus set up the Bank, which co-won the Nobel with him in 2006, in 1983 to make collateral-free micro loans to millions of rural entrepreneurs. The bank is now run by managers appointed by Hasina.

Hasina has accused him of “sucking blood” from the poor amid allegations the bank charges interest rates of more than 20 per cent, and suggested he was responsible for the World Bank pulling a $1.2 billion loan for a mega bridge project.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...