Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus gets bail after filing appeal against labour court verdict

Nobel laureate and Grameen Telecom Chairman Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others today got bail after filing an appeal against the verdict of the labour court in Dhaka. The Labour Appellate Tribunal in Dhaka accepted the appeal and granted bail after Dr Yunus appeared before the tribunal and applied for bail, Yunus’s lawyer told the media.

As per the order, Muhammad Yunus and three other officials of Grameen Telecom will enjoy the bail until disposal of the case.

Earlier, On January 1 this year, a labour court in Dhaka sentenced Dr Yunus and three other officials of Grameen Telecom to six months in jail in a case filed over a violation of labour laws. Soon after the verdict, the court had granted bail to all four for a month, following separate bail pleas.

The other three accused in the case are – Grameen Telecom’s Director Ashraful Hassan, and members of the Board of Directors Nurjahan Begum and Mohmmad Shahjahan.

According to the case documents, the charges include failing to provide a 5% dividend to the Grameen Telecom workers, not regularising 101 staff, and not compensating workers for public holidays.