The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has scrapped the order to frame charges and proceed with the case against Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus in a lawsuit filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.

A bench led by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed passed the order on Wednesday, allowing Dr. Yunus’s appeal against a previous High Court verdict.

Earlier, the High Court had rejected a petition challenging the legality of the charge framing and the continuation of case proceedings. Following that decision, Dr. Yunus filed an appeal with the Appellate Division, which, after a hearing, had set April 23 for delivering the verdict. The order was issued accordingly on Wednesday.

During the hearing, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun represented the petitioner, while Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman appeared for the state. Advocate Asif Hasan represented the ACC.

On October 21, 2024, the Appellate Division had granted leave to appeal. The original case was filed on May 30, 2023, by ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan.

According to the investigation report, the accused allegedly embezzled Tk 25.22 crore and illegally transferred the money—an offense under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.

On June 12 last year, Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4, presided over by Judge Syed Arafat Hossain, framed charges against 14 individuals, including Dr. Yunus. Subsequently, seven of the accused, including Dr. Yunus, filed a petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the charge framing and seeking dismissal of the proceedings.

The High Court concluded the hearing on July 11, and on July 24, a bench comprising Justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadot Hossain rejected the petition. Dr. Yunus then appealed to the Appellate Division.