Bangladesh court indicts Nobel laureate Yunus in graft case

DHAKA: Bangladeshi Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus was indicted in a corruption case on Wednesday, the latest charges to proceed against the respected economist that supporters say are politically motivated.

Yunus, 83, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering microfinance bank but has earned the enmity of longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has accused him of “sucking blood” from the poor.

Hasina has made several scathing verbal attacks against the internationally esteemed 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was once seen as a prospective rival.

Wednesday´s indictment, brought by the national anti-corruption agency, accuses Yunus and 13 others of embezzling $2.1 million (252 million Bangladeshi taka) from Grameen Telecom, one of several firms he founded.