Dr Muhammad Yunus, following a labour court verdict that sentenced him and three others to six months in prison on Monday, said they were being punished for a crime they had not committed.
“If you want to call it justice, you are free to do so,” the Nobel laureate told reporters on the court premises in response to a question about whether justice had been served.
“It was in our fate, in the nation’s fate.”
When asked about his comment on the judgement, Dr Yunus deferred to his lawyer for clarification, before expressing sadness at the fact that they were convicted on a “joyous occasion,” the first day of the new year.
His legal counsel, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, called the verdict unjust and unlawful, saying they would appeal against the conviction.
The state could not substantiate any charges, he added.
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment, which had filed the case, said he was satisfied with the judgement, adding that the allegations against the four had been proven.
Dhaka Third Labour Court judge Sheikh Marina Sultana delivered the verdict earlier in the day, granting bail to the four upon the submission of separate petitions. They now have one month to file an appeal in the High Court to contest the judgement.
The three others are Grameen Telecom CEO Md Ashraful Hassan, Managing Director M Shahjahan and Trustee Nurjahan Begum.
The court also fined them Tk5,000 under one section and Tk25,000 under another, in default of which they would have to spend an additional 10 and 15 days in prison.
