DHAKA: Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the father of microfinance, is the subject of a corruption investigation in Bangladesh after allegations of theft at the telecom company he leads.
Yunus, 82, has received praise from all over the world for his work to end poverty, but domestic labour unrest and a long-standing quarrel with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have damaged his reputation.
In response to charges that the economist and other board members of Grameen Telecom (GT) had embezzled a portion of income intended for the company’s employees, the Anti-Corruption Commission said that it was looking into the matter.The commission has agreed to look into the complaint lodged by the factory inspection department against Grameen Telecom.
The provider’s management is additionally charged with laundering and embezzling 29.77 billion taka ($315 million), as well as with stealing an additional $5 million intended for a fund for labour welfare.
