DHAKA: Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace laureate of Bangladesh, said on Thursday that a number of his businesses had been “forcefully” taken over, weeks after he was found guilty in a criminal case that his supporters claim was driven by political motivations.
With his groundbreaking microfinance bank, Yunus, 83, is credited with helping millions of people escape poverty. However, longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina has taken a dislike to him, accusing him of “sucking blood” from the underprivileged.
At a news conference, he revealed that on Monday, a bunch of “outsiders” had broken into a building that housed multiple businesses owned by him, seizing control of the premises and kicking employees out.
He stated, “Some people came and took control forcefully,” but he did not elaborate on who was involved.
“We have serious problems. It is a major catastrophe,” he said. “They are attempting to manage the businesses in line with their regulations.” According to Yunus, the police declined to file a criminal complaint over the purported takeover. He said, “They find no problems” with the occupation.
Earlier on Thursday, dozens of individuals claiming to be followers of the ruling Awami League blocked staff access to the building’s gates. General manager of one of the companies chaired by Yunus, Mainul Hasan, stated, “They did not allow us to enter the building.”
According to current employees, some individuals entered the building claiming to be the new directors of some of the companies. Yunus and three coworkers from Grameen Telecom, one of the companies he created, were convicted guilty of breaking labor regulations last month and given a six-month jail sentence.
Supporters and rights organizations claim the allegations against the four are politically motivated. They have all been granted bail while their cases are appealed.
Yunus is accused of bribery and violating labor laws on more than a hundred more counts.
A combined letter from over 160 world leaders, including former US President Barack Obama and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, was released last year criticizing Yunus’s “continuous judicial harassment.”
More than a hundred other Nobel laureates signed the petition, expressing their fear for “his safety and freedom.”
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
