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Chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam on Monday said that chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus did not have any property of his own.

‘So far as I know, he (Yunus) doesn’t have any property of his own. He has no personal car,’ he said while responding to reporters’ queries at a ‘Meet the Press’ event organised by the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city.

In response to a question whether Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government, had availed himself of any benefits in establishing Grameen University, Grameen Employment and others, Shafiqul said, ‘You [reporters] should see whether there was any interference or role of the interim government in approving these institutions.’

‘And are the institutions you’re referring to personally owned by Dr Yunus? Does he hold any shares in them? Does he receive any benefit from these organisations? Are these truly Dr Yunus’s institutions?’ he questioned.

He also said, ‘Maybe Dr Yunus gave the name Grameen. But is he a shareholder in these institutions? Does he have any personal property anywhere? Can anyone show proof of that?’

Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, acclaimed globally for his microcredit and other works, has come under criticism recently from various quarters after several of his Grameen entities received official approvals and other facilities since he took office as chief adviser to the Bangladesh interim government on August 8, 2024.

Yunus-founded organisations, businesses or initiatives that have received approval and other facilities over the past eight months included a private university, a digital wallet service, a manpower export licence, the reinstatement of Grameen Bank’s tax exemption for five years, and a reduction in government stakes in Grameen Bank to 10 per cent from 25 per cent.

The press secretary also urged the reporters to investigate whether the government had any role in the establishment of these institutions.

He also said that the people of Bangladesh breathed a sigh of relief following the ban on the Awami League’s activities.

Referring to a recent United Nations report, he said, ‘The UN revealed that 1,400 people were killed, but our own estimate is even higher. Despite this, the AL has shown no remorse.’

‘During their rule, they arbitrarily labelled people as militants. Now that the party is banned, the people are feeling relieved,’ he said.

Shafiqul criticised journalists’ unions for what he called a failure to advocate for the members’ rights over the past 15 years, alleging that they had been more focused on acquiring land plots at Purbachal than protecting journalists.

Regarding the journalists’ wages, he said, ‘Journalists’ salaries should not be below Tk 30,000. If a paper cannot afford that, it should cease publication.’