A labor court in Bangladesh’s capital sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to six months in prison Monday for violating the country’s labor laws.
Yunus, a pioneer in the use of microcredit to help impoverished people, was present in court and was granted bail. The court gave the defense 30 days to appeal.
Grameen Telecom, which he founded as a non-profit organization, is at the center of the trial.
Sheikh Merina Sultana, president of the Third Labor Court in Dhaka, said in her verdict that Yunus’ company violated labor laws: 67 of Grameen Telecom’s employees were supposed to be permanent, and employee participation and welfare funds were not created. He also said that, following company policy, 5% of the company’s dividends were supposed to be distributed to staff.
Sultana found Yunus, as chairman of the company, and three other directors of the company guilty and sentenced them to six months imprisonment each.
Grameen Telecom owns 34% of the country’s largest cell phone company, Grameenphone, a subsidiary of Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor.
The Nobel laureate also faces a number of other charges related to alleged corruption and embezzlement.
Yunus’ supporters believe the charges were brought to harass him amid a complex broader political context and frosty relations with Prime Minister Hasina Wazed. The Bangladesh government has denied the allegations.
Monday’s verdict came as Bangladesh prepares for its next general election on Jan. 7, amid a boycott by the country’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s arch rival. The party said it has no confidence that the prime minister’s government is capable of holding free and fair elections.
In August, more than 170 world leaders and Nobel laureates urged Hasina in an open letter to suspend all legal proceedings against Yunus.