After taking office in August last year, the Yunus administration has been supplying the legacy media with information on alleged corruption and enforced disappearance by the Awami League leadership and the security forces in the midst of an investigation when there is a strong public perception of the matters.

Without minimum verification, the media outlets, most of which are under pressure from the mob supporting the Yunus government, are publishing the information supplied by the chief adviser’s press wing, the reform commissions, the International Crimes Tribunal, the Anti-Corruption Commission, as well as the army intelligence.

There was displeasure among the common people as well as the media and the civil society leaders since the former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, didn’t want to take any exemplary steps promptly against the people in her government and the party as well as government employees.

The only visible steps that she took against corruption were seen every five years: she refrained from giving nominations to some of the identified corrupt people before elections and removed some of them from the new cabinet.

The army-backed interim administration in 2007-08 also supplied the media with corruption news against the BNP and the Awami League as part of its depoliticization campaigns. The same civil society leaders linked to the Yunus administration were behind this unconstitutional government.

Interestingly, when politicians raised allegations of corruption against these civil society leaders or their friends before the end of investigations, they used to protest the political governments vehemently. But they’re now mum as the allegations are brought against the political elements of the deposed Awami League leadership, though most of the allegations are unrealistic and lack credible sourcing.

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Yet, Prof Muhammad Yunus mentions these news items, out of vengeance, to criticize and demonize the Awami League regime and its top leadership.
His recent statements were a stark example of his double standards regarding his previous remarks when he was accused or convicted in corruption cases and the Awami League was in power.

For example, after attending court proceedings in a case over his alleged corruption, the 2006 Nobel laureate said no one should be labelled as a criminal until the allegations are proven.

During that time, the friends of Yunus in the international community as well as the Bangladeshi civil society were concerned over the proceedings and asked the Awami League government to stop harassment of Yunus.

Another example shows Prof Yunus defending his tax evasion attempts by blaming his legal counsel. After his conviction in the tax evasion case, he spoke to the press and described that it wasn’t a crime but a mistake that any human might commit.

“Humans aren’t angels. I make mistakes; my associates also do. This is very normal when you work. Mistakes and crimes are different,” he elaborated without a pause to avoid questions from the press that favoured him as a globally acclaimed influential personality.