Dhaka:The High Court has instructed authorities, including the National Board of Revenue (NBR), to promptly recover Tk 666 crore in unpaid taxes from Grameen Kalyan, an organization founded by former interim government Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus. This order comes after the court vacated a previous stay on the tax demand.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the High Court's full verdict, dismissing separate writ petitions filed by Grameen Kalyan, was published on the Supreme Court website on Monday. The court described the case as a "classic case of tax evasion by keeping a settled issue pending."
Grameen Kalyan had filed two writ petitions in 2017, contesting the legality of the NBR's tax demands for the assessment years 2012-13 through 2016-17. Initially, the court issued a rule and stayed the tax demand decisions, but after reassessment, the petitions were dismissed on August 4, 2024, by a bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice SM Moniruzzaman.
On August 29, 2024, the case was reassigned by another High Court bench to the Chief Justice, who appointed a new bench. This new bench, comprising Justice Md Mujibur Rahman Mia and Justice Rezaul Karim, delivered the verdict on September 10, affirming that Grameen Kalyan must pay the Tk 666 crore claimed by the NBR.
The court concluded that the petitioners had no legal grounds to maintain their petitions. Representation for Dr. Yunus was provided by Barristers Abdullah Al Mamun and Fida M Kamal, while Deputy Attorney General Abdus Samad Azad appeared for the state. Mamun stated they plan to appeal the verdict to the Appellate Division upon receiving the full judgment text.
Explaining the background of the issue, Deputy Attorney General Abdus Samad Azad noted an agreement between Grameen Kalyan and Grameen Telecom, under which Grameen Telecom would provide financial support to Grameen Kalyan and pay it 42.50 percent of the profit from dividends on Grameen Kalyan's shares. The tax authorities later found Grameen Kalyan had not deducted tax at source on the profit received, leading to the reassessment and subsequent legal challenge.