The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday scrapped all proceedings in the money laundering case against Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, bringing an end to a contentious legal battle that had drawn national and international attention.
A four-member bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the verdict by allowing Yunus鈥檚 appeal challenging a High Court order that had earlier upheld the trial court鈥檚 decision to frame charges against him.
The apex court also cancelled the High Court鈥檚 verdict, effectively quashing the case in its entirety.
鈥楾he Supreme Court鈥檚 judgment means the money laundering case against Professor Yunus stands cancelled,鈥� Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Ashif Hasan confirmed 抖阴精品.
The case had been initially withdrawn by the trial court on August 11, 2024, at the ACC鈥檚 request鈥攋ust three days after Professor Yunus was appointed as the chief adviser of the interim government.
However, the withdrawal triggered a legal dispute over the legitimacy and implications of the move.
Attorney general Md Asaduzzaman argued in court that the earlier withdrawal created a false impression that Professor Yunus had influenced the legal system to have the case dropped in his favour.
In response, Yunus鈥檚 legal team argued that the revival of the case after its withdrawal was 鈥榓rbitrary and unjust,鈥� undermining his appeal to have the case dismissed on its merits.
At the heart of the case was a Tk聽437 crore settlement with 164 former workers, from which Tk聽25 crore was paid to lawyers as part of the legal process. Both the Attorney General and the ACC counsel agreed that this transaction did not constitute money laundering.
They also acknowledged that any dispute over employee benefits or dividend payments should be adjudicated by the Labour Court, not under anti-money laundering laws.
Senior lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun represented Professor Yunus in the case, which was originally filed by the former Awami League-led government, accusing him of misappropriation and laundering of settlement funds.
