His commitment to granting microloans made him well-known. Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus has now been sentenced to prison in Bangladesh – his supporters suspect political harassment.
A court in Bangladesh has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus to six months in prison. The non-profit organization Grameen Telecom founded by Yunus violated labor law, judge Sheikh Merina Sultana ruled.
67 employees should have been given permanent employment contracts. In addition, no co-determination and support funds have been set up for employees. According to company guidelines, five percent of dividends must also be distributed to employees.
Three other executives convicted
In addition, the 83-year-old inventor of the microcredit and three other managers in his company each have to pay a fine of 30,000 taka (247 euros), the court in the capital Dhaka said.
Yunus was present in the courtroom for the sentencing and was released on bail. The court gave the defense 30 days to file an appeal.
More charges
Grameen Telecom owns 34 percent of the country’s largest mobile phone company, Grameenphone, a subsidiary of Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor. The Nobel laureate faces a number of other charges over alleged corruption and misappropriation of funds.
Yunus’ supporters believe the allegations were made to harass him for political reasons. In August, more than 170 politicians and Nobel laureates from around the world called on Bangladesh’s long-time head of government, Sheikh Hasina, in an open letter to stop all legal proceedings against Yunus.
Signatories included former US President Barack Obama and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.