Dr Yunus no longer head of seven orgs: GB Chair

Staff Reporter  :
The incumbent Chairman of Grameen Bank, AKM Saiful Islam, has said that Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus was no longer the chairman of seven organisations including the Bank under corporate law.
He further said that the organisations such as Grameen Kalyan, Grameen Telecom, Grameen Fund, Grameen Matshajibi Foundation, Grameen Udyag, Grameen Samagri, and Grameen Power have been established with Grameen Bank’s approval and with the money of Grameen Bank.
“Specific number of chairmen and directors has been appointed for the seven organisations following the rules and regulations. Those who have made the law are now violating it and tarnishing the image of the organisations,” he said.
AKM Saiful Islam made the statements during a press conference at the Grameen Bank Office in the capital on Saturday.
Among others, GM Jubayer, adviser to Grameen Telecom, Masud Akhtar, legal adviser, and Jakaria Rahman, CEO of Grameen Telecom, were present on the occasion.
During the press conference it was revealed that currently, Grameen Bank, along with Grameen families, has 15 million impoverished landless members who are recipients of loans.
“Their development is the main objective of Grameen Bank’s activities. But any criticism of an organisation like Grameen Bank is unfortunate. In order to bring an end to this, we have conducted a comprehensive audit for the first time. The results of the audit show that it is possible to return the money and rights of these 15 million members,” AKM Saiful Islam said.
Earlier on Thursday, Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, claimed that without any authority or relationship, people from the Grameen Bank are forcefully taking over eight organisations by locking them up in the Grameen Telecom building.
“Each organisation has its own rules. There is law. If there is any question about the law, there are courts. It will be clarified there. But why force? If there is a fraud issue here, there is an opportunity for justice in the court,” Dr Yunus said.
“If someone breaks into my house, that’s not right. We have faced many cases in court against us. what was the problem, if there was another case against us?” he said.
In reply to a question of his source of income, Dr Yunus said, “I have achieved these through business, not by the money of the Grameen Bank. Not a single penny has been taken from the Bank.”