The economist and Nobel laureate were sentenced to a six-month term of simple or non-rigorous imprisonment. Following the verdict, he was promptly released on one-month bail upon providing a bond of Taka 5,000
On Monday, Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate economist, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was sentenced to six months in jail by a court on charges of labor law violation, a development his supporters term as “politically motivated.”
Labour Court judge Sheikh Merina Sultana, while delivering the judgment, stated, “The allegation of violating the Labour Law against him has been proved. It appears that the allegation has not been barred by limitation (either).”
The Third Labour Court judge ruled that the 83-year-old Yunus, who was present in the court, would serve six months of simple or non-rigorous imprisonment for violating the law as the Grameen Telecom chairman, along with three other executives of the social business company. A fine of Taka 25,000 was imposed on each of them, with a provision that in default, they would have to serve an additional 10 days in jail.
Soon after the verdict, Yunus and three others applied for bail, which the judge immediately granted, requiring a Taka 5,000 bond for one month.
According to the law, Yunus and the three others have the option to appeal against the verdict in the High Court.
The charges against Yunus and his colleagues involved an alleged violation of labor laws for not establishing a workers’ welfare fund in Grameen Telecom, one of the firms he founded. Yunus, known for his pioneering work in microfinance that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, has been in a longstanding dispute with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. Supporters of Yunus described the judgment as “politically motivated.”
