HC orders Yunus to pay Tk 666cr tax

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The High Court has ordered Grameen Kalyan, an organisation founded by Nobel laureate and former interim government Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, to pay Tk 666 crore in taxes claimed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

A High Court bench comprising Justice Md Mojibur Rahman Miah and Justice Rezaul Karim delivered the judgment on Thursday, directing the organisation to settle the amount within three financial years. In doing so, the court rejected separate writ petitions filed by Grameen Kalyan, which had sought to challenge the validity of the NBR's underlying tax claim.

Deputy Attorney General Advocate Jamiul Haque Faisal confirmed the ruling, while Yunus's lawyer, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, indicated that they would appeal against the judgment; consequently, the matter appears set to continue winding its way through the higher courts. The Supreme Court's records, moreover, show that other tax-related proceedings involving Dr Yunus and various Grameen-related entities remain ongoing.

Given the protracted and at times procedurally fraught history of this particular case--which has previously seen a ruling withdrawn over a judge's undisclosed prior involvement--Thursday's verdict is unlikely to mark the definitive resolution of the dispute, particularly as an appeal now appears imminent.

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