Deposition in labour law violation case against Prof Yunus begins

Staff Reporter :
A Labour Court in Dhaka on Tuesday started testimony in the case filed against nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, also chairman of Grameen Telecom, and three others for allegedly violating the labour law.

Judge of the Third Labour Court in Dhaka, Sheikh Merina Sultana, recorded statements of prosecution witness Tariqul Islam, an Inspector of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), on the first day.

The court has set August 31 for further testimony in the case.

Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun along with Barrister Khaja Tanvir Ahmed examined the witness on behalf of Prof Yunus, while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the DIFE, plaintiff organisation of the case.

Bringing an allegation of irregularities in the testimony proceedings, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun warned that he will boycott the court.

He alleged that the prosecution was dictating the witness during the testimony.

However, lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan denied the allegation adding that Barrister Mamun threatened the court unnecessarily.

On June 6 this year, the same court framed charge against the accused in the case filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments for allegedly violating the labour law.

The other accused in the case are- Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, Directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.

Prof Yunus and other accused in the case appeared in the court during the charge framing hearing and pleaded them innocent and sought justice from the court.

Inspector of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, Arifuzzaman, filed the case with Dhaka 3rd Labour Court on 9 September in 2021 against four people including Prof Yunus.

According to the case documents, a team of DIFE went on an inspection to Grameen Telecom and found the violations of labour laws like not regularising 101 staff, not establishing a welfare fund for the labourers, among others.

Besides, 5 per cent of the company’s dividends was supposed to be paid to the workers participation fund but it was not paid, also read the case statement.

After hearing the case, the Labour Court had also summoned the four to appear before it on October 12 in 2021.

Later the Labour Court granted bail to Prof Yunus and other accused in the case.

Prof Yunus and other accused earlier challenged the legality of the charge framing order passed by the labour court.

However, the High Court rejected their petition and the apex court also upheld the order.