Report on $13m US grant to Yunus
Clarification by Yunus Centre
Dhaka-based Yunus Centre issued a clarification over a news report published in The Independent yesterday headlined $13m US grants to Yunus under FBI scanner.
Yunus Centre in its clarification said: A report published in web-based newspaper in the USA called The Daily Caller on April 17, 2016 was picked up in Bangladesh media on April 19 and April 20 and has created great deal of misunderstanding among readers.
Caption of the story in its various versions follow the original caption Disgraced Clinton Donor Got $ 13 million in State Department Grants Under Hillary contributed most towards this misunderstanding by giving the impression that Professor Muhammad Yunus received this US government money personally, and that he got it because his powerful friend misused her official power to give this money to him. It also reported, completely falsely, that he donated money to her family foundation implying that was a reason he received funds from the State Department. The report also claims that Professor Yunus was ousted from Grameen Bank on corruption charges, which is completely false and an intentional smear.
To remove this confusion created by the all the false information in this piece, we are presenting the following facts. Firstly, the report totally falsely says, that the Department of State has awarded at least $13 million to Professor Yunus in grants, contracts, and loans. State department has no authority to do such thing. Congressional oversight agency on USAID operations would have protested vehemently. The newspaper completely ignored how US government agencies work.
Obviously, Professor Yunus did not receive any US government money personally. Agencies created for development aid cannot provide funds to any individual. Furthermore USAID procedure of qualifying for a grant or investment and its approval process is one of the most exhaustive one known in the donor world. It is a total fabrication that Professor Yunus received USAID money personally.
Secondly, the news report citing the Clinton Foundation website stated that Professor Yunus donated between $100,000 to $300,000 to the Foundation and falsely asserts that the figures quoted are from the website. That too is a lie.
The Clinton Foundation website mentions Grameen America under the category of contributions related exclusively to membership, sponsorship, and conference fees to attend the Clinton Global Initiative, which is an international conference. The President of Grameen America paid these fees for attending the conference over ten years. There is no mention of Muhammad Yunus as a donor anywhere on the website.
Thirdly, the news gives the impression that Yunus and Grameen have been given funds by USAID because of influence exercised by Ms Clinton, the Secretary of State. Grameen companies around the world have been receiving funds from USAID for at least last 30 years under Republican and Democratic administrations. This relationship is a long term relationship developed long before Ms Clinton came to Department of State.
Fourthly, the newspaper claims that (in addition to alleged personal $13 million from USAID) Yunus had business relationship with groups allied to Yunus. This is completely false, because Professor Yunus does not have any business relationship with any organization anywhere, let alone the groups allied to Yunus.
Fifthly, the caption should have read highly celebrated instead of disgraced because Professor Yunus has been given the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010, a rare example of a resolution supported by both parties and passed by the House by more than the required two-third majority and approved by the Senate unanimously in 2010. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2009, the World Food Prize in 1994, and the CARE Humanitarian Award in 1993 from the government of the United States and countless other.
