As discussed and decided in Monday’s cabinet meeting, the raft of gross allegations include tax dodge through claiming tax relief, foreign trip in clear violation of law and abuse of power.
Amid a long-running Yunus-government row, the cabinet Monday decided to take legal action against the banker to the poor at its routine meeting after he had clearly sided with a political party.
The meeting, held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, took the decision after it had received the joint investigation report from the National Board of Revenue and the Internal Resources Division.
Briefing reporters, Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said action would be taken in line with the law of the land.
After he had to relinquish possession of Grameen Bank as its managing director, Prof Yunus had been criticising the government for its steps to revamp the bank.
Supported by the main opposition, Prof Yunus last month batted for the scrapped caretaker government provision for which BNP has long been waging a movement to restore it to oversee the next general election.
After bitterly criticised by the ruling-party leaders for his political stand, the government took the decision to bring him under the net.
The cabinet on August 2 last year asked the NBR to prepare a report on Prof Yunus, directing the body to look into how much money Prof Yunus brought as wage earner and whether he would be able to do so and how much amount he had evasion of tax as wage earner.
Based on the direction, the NBR and ERD ran investigation and prepared the report before the cabinet.
“The cabinet ran a discussion on the report and decided to take legal action against the irregularities,” the cabinet secretary said.
He said Prof Yunus visited abroad on various occasions since July 2004 to June 2011 and earned some Tk 56,185,588 as honorarium, reward and royalty and took Tk 126,546,397 as tax exemption.
“During the period, he took honorarium from 133 organisations, 10 awards and 13 royalties,” Bhuiyan added.
The ERD in its report said the way Prof Yunus took tax exemption was not appropriate under the eye of the law.
“In the Grameen Bank law, the bank has been given tax exemption but no other institutions of the bank,” he said, citing the report.
Mentioning Prof Yunus as a public servant, the report said, “Being a public servant, he did not take permission from the authorities concerned for going abroad.”
The secretary claimed the tax return papers were not furnished with true information.
“It’s a violation of law not to fill in the tax return paper with correct information. People who have prepared the reports are responsible. Being the in-charge, Prof Yunus shrugged off his responsibility,” he said.
The cabinet secretary said that Prof Yunus provided loan to his family organisation at a low interest, abusing power.
“He provided low-interest loan to his family organisation. There’s a conflict of interest. The NBR report finds abusing of power in providing the loan,” he said, adding that the fund transferred from GB to Grameen Kalyan Fund did not go by the regulations.
As per the BG rules, Bhuiyan said, Prof Yunus could function as MD till 60. According to his service contract for continuing the service after 60, he was not supposed to receive any other benefits other than the salary.
“But Prof Yunus enjoyed almost all privileges during that tenure,” he said, adding that NBR would initiate measures for the tax evasion while the Banking Division would take action against the bank related issues.
He said both the institution could take help of law ministry, if required.
On the possibility of government’s filing of cases against him, he did not specify any timeframe. “The decision for filing cases against him is yet to taken.”
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