Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Creative Commons.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today adjourned until October 21 the hearing of leave to appeal petition challenging a High Court Division order that upheld indictment against Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and six officials of Grameen Telecom in a corruption case.
Dr Yunus and six other officials of the Grameen Telecom on August 25 filed the leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court order.
The six Grameen Telecom officials are Managing Director Nazmul Islam, and Directors Ashraful Hassan, Naznin Sultana, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee.
On Monday, a full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed passed the order after hearing on the arguments from Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and petitioner’s lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun.
The court also asked the lawyer for the petitioners to move the leave to appeal petition on October 21 with additional grounds.
The graft case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on May 30 of last year, against Dr Yunus and 13 others on charge of misappropriating around TK 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund, and money laundering.
On July 24, the High Court summarily rejected a petition filed by Prof Yunus and six others challenging a Dhaka court order that framed charges against them in the case.
The apex court also ordered the sub-ordinate court concerned to complete the trial proceedings of the case in next one year.
Earlier on June 12, a Dhaka court framed charges against Dr Yunus and 13 others in the case. - Special Correspondent