Punished for a crime I didn't commit: Prof Yunus

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, in his first reaction to the court verdict against him, said he was handed over a sentence for a crime he hadn't committed.

"I have been punished for a crime I did not commit. If you want to call it justice, you can," he said reacting to the verdict while leaving the court premises around 3:30pm.

Yunus said, "Today is the first day of the English year. The whole world celebrates it. Everyone celebrates it as a day of joy."

"We came to court today to hear the verdict. My heart was filled with joy as I found a lot of friends here [in the court] whom I hadn't met in a long time. '

Asked about the verdict, he said, "Barrister Mamun (Dr Yunus' lawyer Abdullah-Al-Mamun) will explain. But the sadness remains in our minds today. I received this blow on this happy day. '

Yunus and three other top officials of Grameen Telecom were imprisoned for six months in a labour law violation case today.

Sheikh Merina Sultana, chairman of the Third Labour Court of Dhaka, delivered the verdict.

After the verdict, Yunus and the three other officials filed separate bail petitions, and the judge granted them bail for a month.

Prof Yunus is the chairman of Grameen Telecom, while the others sentenced -- Ashraful Hassan, Nurjahan Begum and Mohammad Shahjahan -- are top officials.