Rehman Sobhan urges govt about Grameen Bank at micro-credit roundtable The government should heed the calls of 80 lakh Grameen Bank shareholders and let a democratic process determine how the organisation will be run, eminent economist Rehman Sobhan said yesterday. “If you respect democracy, the prime ownership rests with the principal shareholders of the organisation. This ... Read more
muhammad yunus
Yunus is a political victim
Say some British MPs, academics Lord Avebury, vice-chair of the UK Parliamentary Human Rights Group, has said the removal of Grameen founder Prof Muhammad Yunus by the government from his post raises serious concerns about the creeping politicisation of development work and civil society in Bangladesh. In a joint statement in London issued on March 11, ... Read more
More support for Yunus from abroad
The world’s best-known microfinance institutions and over a dozen Bangladeshi scholars living abroad condemned the government move to remove Prof Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank. In a statement, Tilman Ehrbeck, chief executive of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), and Vijay Mahajan, chair of the CGAP board, said, “We are deeply concerned by ... Read more
Abed, Yunus among world’s top 100
Two renowned Bangladeshis have been included in a list of ‘Top 100 Individuals’ who have committed themselves to improve the lives of girls and women around the world. Founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of Brac, were included in the list prepared by ... Read more
Grameen Bank on Joy’s letter
Sajeeb Wajed Joy, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has riddled Grameen Bank with allegations of tax evasion, fraud and illegal activities under its founder Muhammad Yunus, prompting the microlender to issue a firm rebuttal. In a statement yesterday, the “Bank for the Poor” disputed Joy’s letter, published in a section
Full SC bench to decide Yunus’ fate
Hearing on Mar 15; move on to find new MD for Grameen Bank Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus yesterday filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in a final attempt to stay as the managing director of Grameen Bank he founded nearly three decades ago. In the appeal filed with Supreme Court chamber judge Justice ... Read more
Hillary backs Grameen independence
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed Grameen Bank’s independence in a telephone call to Prof Muhammad Yunus, her spokesman said. “Secretary Clinton spoke yesterday with Dr Muhammad Yunus and expressed support for the independence of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh,” Clinton spokesman Philip Crowley said on
Yunus removal upheld
HC rejects Nobel hero’s petition against his ouster by govt from Grameen Bank; Yunus may appeal with SC today The High Court yesterday upheld Bangladesh Bank’s “removal” of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus from the post of Grameen Bank’s managing director. He will appeal against the verdict with the Supreme Court, his lawyers said. An HC ... Read more
No happy feelings
Civil society feels the issue treated unduly, worries about Grameen Bank; US still hopeful The High Court treated the issue of Prof Muhammad Yunus’ removal from Grameen Bank with a narrow mindset, economists and civil society members yesterday said. They said the court did not consider his contribution to development, poverty alleviation and improving the ... Read more
Removal letter illegal
Say Yunus’ counsels, argue at HC as no show cause notice served; hearing resumes today Counsels for Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus yesterday argued that there is no legal bar for him to continue as the managing director of Grameen Bank since the Bangladesh Bank’s directive to remove him was illegal. The removal of Yunus ... Read more
All eyes on HC
Order on Yunus ‘removal’ today; BNP asks govt to scrap decision The High Court gives its order today on a writ petition of Prof Muhammad Yunus, who challenged his removal from Grameen Bank, amid calls at home and abroad for treating the Nobel laureate gracefully. Bangladesh Bank sought to remove Yunus from the post of ... Read more
Abed points at trust of borrowers
A sudden exit of the Grameen Bank founder from its Board of Directors and a legal battle between its board and the government may dent borrowers’ confidence, putting the organisation’s future in doubt, said Sir Fazle Hasan Abed yesterday. The chairperson of Brac, the world’s largest non-government organisation, in a statement
Grameen bins Muhith claims
Grameen Bank yesterday said it took prior permission from Bangladesh Bank for appointing Dr Muhammad Yunus as its managing director, rejecting Finance Minister AMA Muhith’s claims that it had not. The microlender also described Muhith’s comments on Yunus as incorrect and said it did not disobey the law in appointment of the Nobel laureate
Govt stake comes down to 3.5pc
Sajjadur Rahman A debate over the ownership of the Grameen Bank is brewing, as the finance and foreign ministers have repeatedly claimed Grameen is a government institution. A question about the government’s stake in the bank came to the fore after the “removal” of Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus from the post of its
Senator Kerry worried at ‘removal’ of Prof Yunus
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the United States senate committee on foreign relations, has expressed concern over ‘removal’ of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank, saying the international community would keep a close eye on the situation. “I am deeply concerned by efforts to remove Muhammad Yunus as managing director of the
‘Removal’ rolls into HC
Order on Yunus’ petition Sunday; Nobel hero wants a ‘graceful solution’ to his departure from Grameen Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday went to court challenging the central bank order that removed him from the post of managing director of Grameen Bank, while the wider international community showed its displeasure at the way the Nobel prize winner ... Read more
US deeply troubled
Moriarty says Hillary-Yunus meet Mar 28; diplomats, donors worried, frustrated Foreign diplomats in Bangladesh have sharply reacted to the government’s move to remove Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank and none of them took it positively. They said they never thought that the government could make such an extreme move against an internationally ... Read more
Arguments at court
Appearing for Prof Muhammad Yunus, eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain prayed for a ruling on the government to explain why the Bangladesh Bank’s “letter of removal” should not be declared illegal. He also prayed for a stay order on the effectiveness of the central bank’s letter. Nobel laureate Yunus at the High Court yesterday challenged ... Read more
Image dented
Admits Muhith, but says ‘we had no other alternative’ Bangladesh’s image has been dented due to the government’s “removal” of Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank, Finance Minister AMA Muhith admitted yesterday. “It has not lifted the country’s image at all, but we had no other alternative,” he told journalists after a meeting ... Read more
Yunus ‘removed’
Central Bank issues letter to Grameen Bank; Grameen terms it a legal issue, insists the Nobel hero still holds office Dr Muhammad Yunus, the man who brought a Nobel Prize for Bangladesh, and the most celebrated living Bangladeshi around the globe, was unceremoniously relieved of his duties at Grameen Bank yesterday through a Bangladesh Bank ... Read more