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| Microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus accused of tax evasion | Microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus accused of tax evasion |
| (8 days later) | |
| Muhammad Yunus, the microfinance pioneer and Nobel prize laureate, has been accused by the government in Bangladesh of evading taxes on overseas income, including from book royalties, speeches at conferences and numerous awards. | Muhammad Yunus, the microfinance pioneer and Nobel prize laureate, has been accused by the government in Bangladesh of evading taxes on overseas income, including from book royalties, speeches at conferences and numerous awards. |
| Officials have ordered legal action against Yunus, who is respected around the world for his work on poverty reduction. | Officials have ordered legal action against Yunus, who is respected around the world for his work on poverty reduction. |
| Yunus has issued a statement denying the allegations. | Yunus has issued a statement denying the allegations. |
| Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, a top official, told reporters that the decision to launch the legal case came after a cabinet meeting, chaired by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, discussed a report submitted by the National Board of Revenue on alleged tax irregularities by Yunus. | Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, a top official, told reporters that the decision to launch the legal case came after a cabinet meeting, chaired by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, discussed a report submitted by the National Board of Revenue on alleged tax irregularities by Yunus. |
| Yunus was ousted last year as managing director of the pioneering small-loan provider Grameen Bank after the high court ruled the 73-year-old had violated retirement laws by serving beyond the age of 60. | Yunus was ousted last year as managing director of the pioneering small-loan provider Grameen Bank after the high court ruled the 73-year-old had violated retirement laws by serving beyond the age of 60. |
| AMA Muhith, the finance minister, has alleged that Yunus wrongly received tax exemptions as the chief executive of a public institution between 2004 and 2011. | AMA Muhith, the finance minister, has alleged that Yunus wrongly received tax exemptions as the chief executive of a public institution between 2004 and 2011. |
| Yunus, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2006, has rejected the charge. A statement issued by his office said he did not breach any laws as chief executive of Grameen Bank and all of his activities were approved by the bank's board. | Yunus, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2006, has rejected the charge. A statement issued by his office said he did not breach any laws as chief executive of Grameen Bank and all of his activities were approved by the bank's board. |
| "Grameen Bank was created by a special law. The board of directors holds absolute power under the law. Whatever Prof Yunus did he did with the permission and consent of this powerful board," the statement from Yunus's office said. | "Grameen Bank was created by a special law. The board of directors holds absolute power under the law. Whatever Prof Yunus did he did with the permission and consent of this powerful board," the statement from Yunus's office said. |
| Supporters of Yunus, who won the Nobel along with Grameen Bank for lifting millions out of poverty, say the charges are baseless and the result of long-running tensions between him and the prime minister. | Supporters of Yunus, who won the Nobel along with Grameen Bank for lifting millions out of poverty, say the charges are baseless and the result of long-running tensions between him and the prime minister. |
| Hasina, who came to power in a landslide victory in 2008, has previously accused Grameen Bank and other microfinance institutions of charging high interest rates and "sucking blood from the poor borrowers". | Hasina, who came to power in a landslide victory in 2008, has previously accused Grameen Bank and other microfinance institutions of charging high interest rates and "sucking blood from the poor borrowers". |
| Yunus has been an outspoken critic of successive governments in Bangladesh. | Yunus has been an outspoken critic of successive governments in Bangladesh. |
| In May Yunus asked western consumers and businesses to help reform the country's booming but largely unregulated garment industry after the deaths of more than 1,000 people in the collapse of a Dhaka factory where clothes sold in Europe and the US were being made. | In May Yunus asked western consumers and businesses to help reform the country's booming but largely unregulated garment industry after the deaths of more than 1,000 people in the collapse of a Dhaka factory where clothes sold in Europe and the US were being made. |
| "The tragedy at the garment factory in Savar is a symbol of our failure as a nation," Yunus wrote in the Guardian. "The crack … that caused the collapse of the building has shown us that if we don't face up to the cracks in our own systems, we as a nation will get lost in the debris." | "The tragedy at the garment factory in Savar is a symbol of our failure as a nation," Yunus wrote in the Guardian. "The crack … that caused the collapse of the building has shown us that if we don't face up to the cracks in our own systems, we as a nation will get lost in the debris." |
| General elections are expected in Bangladesh within six months. | General elections are expected in Bangladesh within six months. |
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