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Bangladesh to probe charges against Grameen Bank founder
Monday December 06, 2010 06:22:52 PM,
IANS
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'Grameen'
Yunus refutes $100 mn anomalies charge
Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has refuted a charge
that he had transferred $100 million aid meant for his
micro-credit bank Grameen to other projects. The bank's founder
told The Daily Star
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Dhaka:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government
would investigate the alleged unauthorised fund transfer by
Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus.
"Obviously, there should be an extensive investigation," she said
Sunday.
"It is time to know what had been going on in the name of poverty
alleviation and with the fate of the poor people. You can't hide
the truth for a long time," Hasina was quoted as saying by New Age
newspaper Monday.
She said the "blood suckers of the poor cannot escape for all
time".
She was reacting to an expose in a Norwegian TV programme that
alleges that Yunus had violated a contract to transfer funds meant
for rural credit for Grameen Bank's other projects.
Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his endeavour in rural
banking, has welcomed the probe.
The Nobel laureate said in a brief statement issued in Lisbon,
Portugal, Sunday night: "The prime minister has called for an
investigation into the press reports that have surfaced recently
with regard to Grameen Bank.
"I welcome such initiative and I am confident that this will
resolve the matter and bring the truth to the citizens of
Bangladesh as soon as possible."
Yunus has claimed the transfers were done to ensure "proper use of
funds" and "transparency", and that the dispute with the Norwegian
government had been resolved.
The prime minister alleged that the micro-financers nurse poverty
to run their brisk business.
According to United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency, Hasina
said: "The micro-financers make the people of this country their
guinea pig. They are sucking blood from the poor in the name of
poverty alleviation.
The prime minister observed that the poor hardly ever came out
above the poverty line after taking loan from the micro-financers.
Hasina alleged that the fund transfer took place to evade tax and
that was very unfortunate.
She said at present, the government had a 25 percent stake in the
Grameen Bank.
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