Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus granted bail after being convicted of violating labour laws
File photo.
Bangladeshi Nobel laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus was granted bail on Sunday (Jan 28) after he had wasconvicted of violating the country's labour laws. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, Yunus, 83, was granted bail by an appeals court in Dhaka. The court also agreed to hear an appeal against his sentencing. Yunus had filed the appeal seeking bail on Sunday morning before it was granted, the report said.
The Nobel laureate and three of his Grameen Telecom colleagues were sentenced to six months in prison on Jan 1, but they were immediately granted 30 days of bail to appeal the verdict and sentence.
Sunday's decision by the appeals court said the bail would remain effective until a final decision was made on the appeal for the sentencing.
The case
The case involves Grameen Telecom, which was founded by Yunus as a non-profit organisation. As per the report, the company owns 34.2 per cent of Bangladesh's largest mobile company Grameenphone, a subsidiary of Norway’s telecom giant Telenor.
In the case's original verdict, the judge said that Grameen Telecom violated labour laws. At least 67 company workers were supposed to be made permanent employees but were not. Also, a welfare fund to support staff in case of an emergency and special need was never formed.
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The judge said that as per company policy, five per cent of Grameen’s dividends were supposed to have been distributed to staff but were not. The judge found Yunus, and three company directors guilty, and fined each $260 while also sentencing them to prison.
'Case is politically motivated'
Yunus' supporters said that the case was politically motivated, a charge that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government denied. The 83-year-old economist was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 2006.
Yunus said after the original verdict that he was innocent. "We are being punished for a crime we did not commit. It was my fate, the nation’s fate. We have accepted this verdict, but will appeal this verdict and continue fighting against this sentence," he told reporters following the Jan 1 verdict.
(With inputs from agencies)