Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and 13 others have been indicted at a court in Bangladesh on charges in a two million dollar-plus (£1.57 million) embezzlement case.
Yunus, 83, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering microcredit to help impoverished people, especially women, pleaded not guilty and has been released on bail.
He told reporters that authorities were “harassing” him and other colleagues and denied being involved in any corruption.
In a packed Dahka courtroom, special judge in Dhaka Syed Arafat Hossain dismissed petitions calling for the charges – which centre around Yunus’ non-profit Grameen Telecom – to be dropped.
The prosecution has accused Yunus and the others of embezzling 250 million takas from the workers’ welfare fund of Grameen Telecom, which owns 34.2% of the country’s largest mobile phone company, Grameenphone, a subsidiary of Norway’s telecom giant Telenor.
They are also accused of money laundering.
The judge said the prosecution was able to preliminarily back its argument and proved the charges of misappropriation of funds and sending money abroad illegally, adding that the trial will start on July 15.
In January, Yunus was sentenced to six months in prison on a separate charge of violating labour laws. He was granted bail while awaiting the verdict.
Last year, more than 170 global leaders and Nobel laureates urged Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to suspend legal proceedings against Yunus.
His supporters say he has been targeted because of his frosty relations with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The government has denied the allegations.
