Yunus Centre responds to PM’s allegations

The Yunus Centre has published a rejoinder to the comments allegedly made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina against Professor Muhammad Yunus regarding Padma Bridge, tax evasion and illegal money transfer to abroad. The rejoinder, published on Monday, said the prime minister made the allegations while addressing a reception accorded to her by expatriate Bangladeshis in Sweden on June 15. The Yunus Centre said these “false accusations and allegations” have been made before and have also been responded to before. “Now we are obliged to respond again,” it said. In response to the prime minister’s allegation that it was being clear how much money he [Yunus] did not pay as tax, the Yunus Centre stated that Prof Yunus does not have any outstanding tax claims or pending tax payments. “We have repeated on a number of occasions that Professor Yunus pays all of his taxes fully and in due time. All relevant information regarding his earnings and taxes are in the possession of the tax authorities,” it added. According to the rejoinder, so far Professor Yunus has not been informed that there is anything wrong with his tax returns. “It is difficult to believe that Professor Yunus transferred all these money from Grameen Bank over all these years, and that the Central Bank with all its annual inspections and audits and many more monitoring visits could never detect it,” the Yunus Centre responds to PM’s allegation that Dr Yunus removed Grameen Bank's money. The rejoinder stated that Professor Yunus does not own any company anywhere in the world. It further said the Nobel laureate does not even own any share in any company anywhere in the world. It strongly protested the PM’s allegation against Prof Yunus’ role in stopping the World Bank fund for Padma Bridge project. The Yunus Centre said Prof Yunus has always supported the Padma Bridge project as the bridge would benefit of millions of people of Bangladesh. The rejoinder termed the prime minister’s allegation that Prof Yunus embezzled money from GrameenPhone a falsehood created to disrepute a distinguished citizen of the country. The Yunus Centre said Prof Yunus was never greedy to hold on to managing director’s position in Grameen Bank. It said Prof Yunus did not violate any rule of Grameen Bank. Rejecting the premier’s allegation that Prof Yunus made former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to call her on Grameen Bank issue, Yunus Centre said if Hillary did, in fact, call the PM she may have done so on her own. The rejoinder stated that Prof Yunus or Yunus-inspired NGOs never donated any money to Clinton Global Initiative. It also denied reports that a US senate judiciary committee has launched an investigation into the allegations of Prof Yunus’ donations to Clinton Foundation, saying that Senator Grassley's letter to Secretary of State Mr Rex Tillerson does not constitute an investigation. “If an investigation is put in the process Yunus Centre would welcome it as it would bring out the truth,” it said.