STATE DEPARTMENT REACTION TO ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION CHARGES IN BANGLADESH

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Bangladesh: Corruption Allegations Against Muhammad Yunus (Taken Question)
Taken Question
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 10, 2013

Question: Any Reaction to Corruption Allegations against Muhammad Yunus?

Answer: We are concerned about recent reports that the Government of Bangladesh may pursue a tax evasion case against Dr. Yunus. The United States has long admired and supported Professor Yunus’s significant achievements in improving the lives of Bangladesh’s most vulnerable citizens, particularly women. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to treat Dr. Yunus in a fair and transparent manner, in keeping with Bangladeshi law and the principles of due process.

The United States supports the continued independence, effectiveness, and integrity of Grameen Bank as an institution that promotes the welfare and development of Bangladesh’s most vulnerable people, particularly women. We also support the continuation of the Bank’s unique governance structure. We look forward to the selection of a highly qualified and acceptable Managing Director and a new chairman who are committed to sustaining the Bank’s success.

Grameen Bank is an engine of social entrepreneurship and prosperity for millions of Bangladeshis, and has an impressive track record improving the lives of the poor, especially women and girls. An astonishing 96% percent of its 8.3 million borrowers are women. Grameen Bank has played a pioneering role not only in developing microfinance as an economic model but in empowering ordinary people to lift themselves out of poverty and into a better life.