Grameenphone CEO, 2 others get bail in fraud case 

Grameenphone Chief Executive Officer Yasir Azman and two other senior officials have secured bail after surrendering before a Dhaka court in connection with a fraud case filed by a former employee.

The other accused are Fazlul Haque, acting chairman of the company's Board of Trustees, and Sayeda Hossain, chief human resources officer.

The three appeared before the court today (26 October) and sought bail. After a hearing, the court granted them bail on a bond of Tk5,000 each, said their lawyer, Ehsanul Haque Samaji.

Grameenphone, in a statement, said, "This case has been filed with the intention of harassing our senior management. We have faith in the law and believe that we will receive justice in court."

According to the case details, Rakibul Azam, a former employee of Grameenphone, filed the case under sections 406, 420, 380, and 109 of the Penal Code against three senior officials of the company, alleging non-payment of Tk828,998 from the Welfare Fund. 

The plaintiff alleged that the accused had failed to clear his dues despite repeated assurances. The court accepted the case and summoned the accused to appear before it on 26 October.

During the hearing, defence lawyers argued that the allegations were false and that the court had earlier issued a summons – not an arrest warrant – indicating that the matter was not criminal in nature. They said justice had been served through the court's decision to grant bail.

Opposing the bail plea, the plaintiff's lawyer, Rokeya Akter, claimed that Grameenphone owed her client unpaid dues for 2010, 2011, and 2012. She said the plaintiff had repeatedly visited the company to collect his dues and was assured of payment after signing an agreement, but the accused later deceived him and withheld the money.

She added that when the plaintiff later approached Fazlul Haque, the acting chairman of Grameenphone's trustee board, he reportedly responded, "Oh, they haven't paid you yet? I'll look into it." However, no payment was made thereafter.

According to the case statement, the plaintiff, Rakibul Azam, was employed by Grameenphone Ltd from 2006 to 2021. Between 2010 and 2012, he was reportedly tasked with distributing funds held under outsourcing arrangements to employees. As a result of this work, Grameenphone is alleged to owe him Tk828,998.

The plaintiff claimed that on 10 November last year, when he went to collect the payment, the accused took his signature on a Tk300 stamp paper but did not pay him. 

Since then, he alleged, the company has continued to avoid payment despite multiple requests.