The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has cancelled an order to frame charges against Dr Muhammad Yunus and six others in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed unanimously delivered the verdict on Wednesday morning, granting Yunus’s appeal against a previous High Court order that had rejected his petition to dismiss the case.
Barrister Md Abdullah Al Mamun represented Yunus in court, while Advocate Asif Hossain appeared on behalf of the ACC.
Earlier, the High Court had rejected a petition seeking to quash the case, prompting Yunus to file an appeal.
After hearing the appeal, the Appellate Division had set April 23 for delivering its verdict.
The Appellate Division granted permission for the appeal on October 21, 2024.
The case was originally filed by ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan on May 30, 2023.
According to the investigation report, the accused allegedly embezzled Tk25.22 crore and transferred the funds illegally – an act deemed a criminal offence under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
On June 12 last year, Dhaka’s Special Judge Court 4, presided over by Judge Syed Arafat Hossain, indicted Yunus and 13 others in the case.
In response, Yunus and six others filed a petition in the High Court challenging the legality of the charges and seeking dismissal of the case.
The High Court completed hearings on the petition on July 11, and on July 24, a High Court bench rejected the petition.
Yunus then appealed to the Appellate Division.
