Case against Dr Yunus: Plea for court transfer, alleging ‘document forgery’

The lawyers of Dr Muhammad Yunus filed a petition with Dhaka's 3rd Labour Court yesterday seeking transfer of the labour law violation case against the Nobel laureate to a magistrate court, alleging that the plaintiff forged the checklist in filing the case.

The plea filed by Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun and Barrister Khaja Tanvir Ahmed had sought transfer of the case from Dhaka's 3rd Labour Court to a first-class magistrate court in Dhaka.  

"As the case is based on forged documents, penal action should be taken against the plaintiff. The case should be transferred to a first-class magistrate court of Dhaka for the trial on the allegation of fraud," Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun told The Business Standard.

After hearing the plea, the labour court of Marina Yasmin, said that it would pronounce the order later.

During the hearing, Khurshid Alam Khan, lawyer of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), filed a verbal appeal seeking cancellation of the bail of Dr Yunus, but the court did not take it into consideration.

Yesterday, the court recorded the deposition of the key witness, DIFE Inspector Tariqul Islam, and fixed 20 September as the next date for testimony.

According to the petition filed by Yunus' lawyers, the witness admitted during cross-examining by the defence lawyers that the case was filed with fake documents, instead of the original ones.

On 9 September 2021, DIFE Inspector Arifuzzaman filed the case with Dhaka's 3rd Labour Court, accusing Grameen Telecom Chairman Dr Muhammad Yunus, and three others of violating labour laws by siphoning off workers' dividends.

Trial in the case began on 5 September this year at the labour court through recording the statement of the first witness.