While the chief adviserโs press wing has refuted the allegation of corruption by eight advisers of the Yunus regime, and the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association said the remarks by former secretary and BNP Chairpersonโs private secretary, ABM Abdus Sattar, are his personal opinion, people believe that the allegation is not false.
โWhatever the government says now, its purpose is not served. People do not believe the governmentโs version. We are learning from various sources that some of the advisers are engaged in corruption centering on case businessโฆthe student advisers are also involved,โ senior journalist Arshad Mahmud said in a talk show on Sunday.
โEven NCP leader Samantha Sharmin said publicly that he (Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus) came to power to fulfil his own wishes and bag money. Yunus has had his cases withdrawn through executive orders, an exempted tax, and acquired a manpower license, among other benefits.
โThese allegations came from a top leader of the NCP.
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โHasnat Abdullah (another NCP leader) recently criticised the health adviser, saying that Yunus had appointed his close people; he said he does not know what she is up to.
โThis is corruption. Because he (Yunus) does not pay them (advisers) from his fatherโs pocket, this is the taxpayersโ money. There is no accountability.
โBut he does not say anything about these allegations. His propaganda wing does not make a comment or give any rebuttal, even though Hasnat and Samantha are important persons,โ the journalist said.
They do not have anything to say against the allegations. Moreover, they know that they are engaged in these corruptions, he said.
โYunus has taken these advantages. He took the manpower business license. If he (Yunus) had been a patriot, he would have taken such a step that would ease the sufferings of the poor people who go abroad by selling off their land and spending every penny because itโs a highly corrupt sector.
โHe thought that this was a huge market that involved thousands of crores. Taking this license was seriously corrupt.
โHis supporters say he will manage this sector properly. Are his businesses out of the question? There are many criticisms regarding his Grameen Bank and other associated companies.
โYunus is not an angel. He is a human,โ Arshad Mahmud added.
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On Friday, retired secretary Abdus Sattar said he had the evidence of massive corruption of at least eight advisers of the Yunus-led interim government.
At that time, other officials present applauded his remarks.
โThe intelligence agencies have evidence of the corruption of eight advisers. However, the authorities are not taking any action against anyone,โ he said during a seminar at the capitalโs Biam Auditorium. However, he did not name the advisers.
Abdus Sattar is also the general secretary of the Officersโ Club and the president of the Anti-Discrimination Employees Unity Forum.
He said: โIt is a pity that even though Tk200 crore was found in the APS account of an adviser, no action was taken against him.โ
Abdus Sattar asked how former Grameen Bank official Nurjahan Begum could run the Health Ministry.
โIs it right to run two important ministries like the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Youth and Sports with an inexperienced adviser [Asif Mahmud]?โ
Since taking charge of the government, Yunus has secured huge benefits, while his advisers, including the student representativesโMahfuj Alam, Asif Ahmedโand retired adviser Nahid Islam, and student leaders of the Kingโs party, have abused power to earn money illegally using their relatives and personal staff.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is scrutinising some of the allegations that were published in newspapers recently. However, none of the advisers resigned after the allegations surfaced, nor did a single APS get arrested.
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Asif Mahmud has created controversies for excessive spending of public money on travels by using helicopters, helping his father, schoolteacher Billal Hossain, acquire a contractor license from his ministry, and corruption in the recruitment of Wasa, Dhaka City Corporation, BPL, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and other crimes.
Moazzem Hossain, Asifโs former assistant personal secretary (APS) and a student coordinator, was removed from duty in the wake of corruption charges.
Two personal assistants of the health adviser, Nurjahan Begum, were also relieved from their duties after allegations of massive corruption were levelled against them in the media.
Yunusโ personal gains
Apart from securing acquittal from all cases, since taking the oath on August 8, Yunus has also gained huge benefits for himself and his companies through nepotism, irregularities, and corruption, using his position without any obstruction. He has reduced the governmentโs share in Grameen Bank from 25% to 10% and awarded it tax exemption for five years.
His Grameen University has gotten the government nod at a surprisingly fast pace. Moreover, Grameen Employment Services Limited has a manpower export certificate.
Latest, the Ministry of Social Welfare is working to hand over its microfinance program worth Tk700 crore to Grameen Trust.
Since taking oath on August 8, Yunus has recruited his close confidantes for the Advisory Council and other important positions of the interim government.
Yunusโ empire
Initially, Grameen Bank was a project under an institute of the Economics Department of Chittagong University. In 1983, the government established the bank by promulgating a military ordinance. Yunus used to work as its managing director at the Grameen Bank with a salary of Tk6,000.
He, however, earned a huge sum of money and property soon.
Cases and investigation reports suggest that he transferred Grameen Bank funds to other institutions and companies by different means, which are deemed illegal and unethical. Yunus admits that he did so, in many cases, to evade tax. The ACC filed several corruption cases against Yunus in the last few years.
In a recent address, Sheikh Hasina said that Yunus has investments worth $17 billion through his companies, including Grameen America, across the world. In France alone, he has a business of $2 billion and has shares with two or three banks there. He has bought a very expensive flat in Paris.
He has no shortage of wealth in Bangladesh. In the reports of three banks, he was the owner of Tk118 crore, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said: โWe took 10 kathas of land in Purbachal. Is it a big crime that we are completely under the radar? None of our sons and daughters are left outโฆ Joy, Putul, Bobby, Tulip, Rehanaโฆ Is 10 kathas of land a crime? Why did we commit a crime? Donโt we have the right to get 10 kathas of land? We have given all our resources to the people. Donโt our sons and daughters have any rights?โ
Describing the empire of Yunus, she said that he has 4,800 kathas of land in Purbachal, where he has built a resort named Naisarga.
โHe has bought 5 acres of land in Uttara. A branch of Naisarga Resort in Coxโs Bazar.
โSo, how did he take so much land in Purbachal? By what law? By what plan did he take it, and will he not have to answer? He will not be triedโฆ Will he not be held accountable?
Sheikh Hasina said that Yunus has bought land worth Tk6,000 crore all over Bangladesh. โWill it serve the people? Have people received even a single service to date? No one has seen the face of the Ananda School that was supposed to be built by Yunus in Chittagong (on 83 or 87 kathas of land),โ she said.
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