ACC summoned 4, including MD of Grameen Telecom

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has summoned four persons, including MD Nazmul Islam of Grameen Telecom Limited, for questioning on charges of embezzlement and money laundering of workers' welfare fund. The rest are - Grameen Telecom Workers Union Representative Md. Mainul Islam, lawyer Md. Yusuf Ali and Zafrul Hasan Sharif. They have to appear at the ACC head office at Segunbagicha in the capital on August 25 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. A notice signed by Gulshan Anwar, deputy director of the ACC headquarters and head of the investigation team, was sent to them on Monday. It is learned that the ACC started investigating the allegation late last month. In the meantime, when the Grameen Telecom Company was asked for the documents related to the complaint, they submitted them to the ACC. The documents are being examined. Recently, the Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Inspection of Factories and Institutions of the Ministry of Labor and Employment sent a complaint against the board of directors of the Grameen Telecom Company for misappropriation of workers' welfare fund to the SEC. The allegations are that through irregularities, five percent of the dividend reserved for distribution among the workers has been embezzled. During the payment of the dues of the workers, six percent of the amount was illegally deducted in the name of lawyer's fees and other fees. It is said that, BDT 45 crore 52 lakh including interest allocated to workers' welfare fund were embezzled without distribution. Two crore 977 lakh taka from that company was embezzled by transferring it to the bank accounts of various subsidiary organizations for the purpose of money laundering. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is serving as a member of the board of directors of Grameen Telecom. A reliable source said that he may also be interrogated regarding this allegation.