<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">A Dhaka court today framed charges against Nobel laureate Dr Yunus and 13 others in a case over embezzling Tk 25.22 crore of the Grameen Telecom Workers' welfare fund.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dhaka’s Special Judge's Court-4 Judge Syed Arafat Hossain passed the order after rejecting a petition for excluding names of the accused from the charges, said the defendants’ lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The court also set July 15 to take testimony from the witnesses, formally beginning trial in the case, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr Yunus and the other accused are now on bail and they pleaded not guilty, demanding justice while the court was framing charges, said the lawyer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Read more: US says it will continue to encourage Bangladesh govt to ensure a fair legal process for Dr. Yunus</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On February 1 this year, the investigating officer of the case, ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, submitted the charge sheet against Dr. Yunus and 13 others.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The court accepted the charges against them on June 2 after a hearing in this regard.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 13 other accused in the case are: Grameen Telecom MD Nazmul Islam; Director Ashraful Hasan, former MD Parveen Mahmood; Najnin Sultana, Shahjahan, Noorjahan Begum, and S. M. Hazzatul Islam Latifi, all serving as directors; along with Advocate Yusuf Ali; Advocate Zaforul Hasan Sharif; Md Kamruzzaman, President of the Union of Grameen Telecom Employees; Firoz Mahmud Hasan, General Secretary; Kamrul Hasan, office secretary of the Employees' Union office, and representative Mainul Islam.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gulshan Anwar, the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case as the primary complainant on May 30, 2023.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>