Standing in an iron cage the pinnacle of my cursed life: Dr Yunus

The indictment hearing against 14 people including Nobel Laureate economist Dr Muhammad Yunus in a case filed under the money laundering prevention act was held Sunday.

For this, the Nobel laureate had to stand in the iron cage made for the defendants in the courtroom of Dhaka. He described the experience as “part of a cursed life”.

The case was heard at Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4. Judge Syed Arafat Hossain set 12 June as the date for the order regarding the framing of charges.

Dr Yunus’ lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun said that at the beginning of the hearing, the court asked all the accused except Dr Muhammad Yunus to stand in the dock. Then Dr Yunus said that others had to face this situation because of him. So he himself went and stood in the iron cage made for the accused. After around a couple of minutes, everyone went to the courtroom bench with the permission of the judge.

Dr Yunus talked to the media at the end of the hearing on the court premises. He said, “The iron cage for the accused is surely humiliating. This has been done to insult people. It was not made to show respect. This has been designed to take a person to the climax of insult. Today I have reached the pinnacle of this cursed life. This is the first time I had to stand in an iron cage.”

Grameen Bank founder Dr Muhammad Yunus was praised internationally for playing a role in alleviating poverty in Bangladesh. Several former and incumbent heads of state, including hundreds of Nobel laureates, have called on the Bangladesh government to not harass him.

Dr Muhammad Yunus claimed that the charges brought against him have no basis.

He said, “There is no truth in this incident. I am being accused of what I have given away. My companions are cursed today. This has deeply scarred my mind. My family was attacked, my father was attacked. This is totally unacceptable to me. This is part of my cursed life.”

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on 1 February this year submitted a charge sheet against 14 people including Dr Muhammad Yunus in a case filed on charges of the embezzlement of Tk 252.2 million from the profits of Grameen Telecom employees.

Apart from Dr Yunus, managing director of Grameen Telecom Nazmul Islam; director and former managing director of the company Ashraful Hasan; directors Parveen Mahmud, Nazneen Sultana, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and SM Hajjatul Islam Latifi; lawyer Md Yusuf Ali and Zafrul Hasan Sharif; president of Grameen Telecom Workers Union Kamruzzaman; general secretary Feroz Mahmud Hasan; the representative of the labour union Mainul Islam and secretary of the National Labour Federation Kamrul Hasan were made accused in the case.

Kamrul Hasan’s name was included in the charge sheet after investigation. Others were mentioned in the case statement.

ACC deputy director Gulshan Anwar lodged the case as the main plaintiff on 30 May 2023.

According to the investigation report, the accused have embezzled Tk 252 million. The money was transacted illegally, which is considered a crime according to the Money Laundering Prevention Act.

84-year-old Dr Muhammad Yunus expressed his helplessness earlier as well, facing various problems including lawsuits at this time of his life.

He said he sees the iron cage of the accused as a symbol.

Mentioning that he is actually leading a “cursed life”, Dr Yunus said, “I have nothing to do here. It is God’s will. Gods and Goddesses decide who should be cursed.”

Explaining this “cursed life” Dr Yunus said, “I was thinking that in the epic there are some gods and goddesses who curse. Those who are cursed, live a cursed life. I also feel that I have become a part of an epic. Some gods and goddesses are displeased with me. I am here today because of their curse.”

Dr Muhammad Yunus said, “Throwing me out of Grameen Bank was part of my cursed life. An investigation commission was formed and there has been an investigation against me. Today I have reached a great stage in my cursed life. If my friends had seen that I was in an iron cage, they would have felt very bad.”