France takes up Yunus case with Bangladesh
April 25th, 2011 - 7:38 pm ICT by IANSDhaka, April 25 (IANS) A special envoy of French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked the Bangladesh government to ensure that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is “effectively associated” with Grameen Bank, a media report said Monday.
Special envoy Martin Hirsh conveyed this at a meeting he had with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni last Saturday, the New Age newspaper said.
The French effort, announced last month by Sarkozy, who telephoned Yunus, follows last month’s visit of US assistant secretary of state for South Asia Robert Blake.
“The French envoy raised the issue of Muhammad Yunus and the Grammen Bank,” the foreign ministry said in a release issued on the meeting with Hirsh.
Dipu Moni informed the French envoy of the legal status of the Grameen Bank and the rejection of both his writ petitions as well as the appeal filed by Muhammad Yunus with the high court and the appellate division respectively.
“She assured the envoy of the government’s firm conviction and commitment to upholding the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary,” the newspaper said.
Yunus was removed from the position of the managing director of the Grameen Bank March 2. A Bangladesh Bank letter issued that day said that the microcredit pioneer had been stripped of his position in line with the Grameen Bank Ordinance 1983.
Yunus along with the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for making small loans available to poor entrepreneurs without collateral.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has, meanwhile, adjourned hearing two last-ditch petitions challenging Yunus’s removal from the bank he founded. The court will now hear the petitions May 2.
- Grameen Yunus's petition hearing put off for two weeks - Mar 15, 2011
- Dhaka court hears petition challenging Yunus' ouster - Mar 06, 2011
- Court rejects Muhammad Yunus's petition (Lead) - Mar 08, 2011
- Yunus loses appeal against ouster from Grameen Bank (Second Lead) - Mar 08, 2011
- French president supports Grameen's Yunus - Apr 06, 2011
- Full bench of Bangladesh apex court to hear Yunus's appeal (Lead) - Mar 09, 2011
- Yunus moves apex court against removal from Grameen Bank - Mar 09, 2011
- Bangladesh apex court dismisses Grameen, Yunus appeals - May 05, 2011
- Bangladesh apex court confirms Yunus removal from Grameen Bank (Second Lead) - Apr 05, 2011
- Yunus remains Grameen Bank chief despite court verdicts - May 07, 2011
- Bangladesh's Grameen bank chief Yunus steps down - May 13, 2011
- Nobel laureate Yunus loses Bangladesh court appeal - Apr 05, 2011
- Yunus's Grameen ouster verdict by Dhaka court Tuesday - Mar 07, 2011
- Grameen Bank challenges government ownership claim - Feb 02, 2011
- 'Charges against Muhammad Yunus politically motivated' - Feb 18, 2011
Tags: appellate division, bangladesh bank, bangladesh government, french effort, french envoy, french president nicolas, french president nicolas sarkozy, grameen bank, grammen bank, last ditch, martin hirsh, muhammad yunus, nicolas sarkozy, nobel laureate, nobel peace prize, poor entrepreneurs, president nicolas sarkozy, robert blake, South Asia, writ petitions