Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the then US secretary of state, assistant secretary and US ambassador in Dhaka had threatened several times to withdraw the Padma Bridge fund if Dr Yunus is removed as the Grameen Bank managing director, reports UNB.
She also said her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy had to face pressure from the US State Department to keep Dr Yunus as the Grameen Bank MD.
"The US Ambassador had always threatened me coming to my office that the fund for the Padma Bridge would be stopped if Dr Yunus was removed from the managing director post of Grameen Bank," she said while speaking at a reception accorded to her by German chapter of Awami League at Marriott Hotel.
The Prime Minister said the then assistant secretary also came here and repeated the same thing. "Hillary Clinton phoned me and exerted the same pressure. Even, the US State Department summoned my son Joy thrice and told him that we would face trouble."
She said the US State Department officials had told Joy that Hillary Clinton would not take the matter so easily. "Convince your mother," she recalled what Joy had said quoting them.
Posing a question, Hasina said, “Why should such a person who received coveted Nobel Prize be so much greedy for a simple post of managing director of a bank when her government offered him the post of Adviser Emeritus to the same bank?”
The Prime Minister said as per the country’s existing law, one can be the MD of any bank till 60 years. "But, he didn't leave that post although he was more than 70 years and this was very much interesting. For that he continued his lobbying,"
she said.
The Prime Minister said the government did not remove Dr Yunus from his post. "We tried to make him adviser, but without accepting it, he went to the court taking advice from Dr Kamal Hossain and the court gave its verdict."
Hasina said the editor of a newspaper was involved in this matter as well and they both tried to float a political party during the Army-backed 1/11 regime. "But, the country’s people didn't respond to their initiative."
Citing a Canadian court’s recent verdict dismissing the graft allegation in the Padma Bridge project, she said the truth shall prevail all the time. "Now it has been proved there had been no corruption in the Padma Bridge construction," she said.
The Prime Minister reiterated that her government had taken the issue as a challenge and asked the World Bank to prove it with documents which it failed to do. "Our government has successfully faced the conspiracy with honesty."
She also firmly mentioned that those who lost their honour and dignity due to the Padma Bridge bribe conspiracy must file cases against the World Bank for its role.
Regarding the graft case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Sheikh Hasina said the BNP chief will certainly be punished in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case if the court is convinced of the graft with proper evidence and documents.
"If the court has the evidence, she (Khaleda) must be punished," the prime minister said.
Criticising BNP’s threat not to allow holding the election if Khaleda Zia is punished in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, the Prime Minister said, "They (BNP) won’t allow the election just to save a thief. What type of attitude is this?"
She also questioned, “Why the BNP leader is afraid of facing the court if she had not been involved in any corruption. She has repeatedly been seeking time. In one case, she has filed petitions for some 53/54 times. What’s the reason behind escaping the court?”
She went on to answer: “This is clear that she (Khaleda) embezzled the orphanage money.”
Hasina also said the mass people rejected the destructive politics of BNP it unleashed to foil the January-5 election in 2014 and alleged that Khaleda Zia has always been doing the negative, even in politics.
About the newly formed Election Commission, she said one election commissioner was drawn from the list of Awami League while and one from BNP list. "But, BNP isn’t happy now. They always show a negative attitude."
About her participation in the Munich Security Conference, the Prime Minister said she is focusing on overall security matters, including security of the people, food, water, climate and other related issues.
She pointed out the issue of terrorism and militancy, saying this is a new version of the security threat for the world.
She reiterated her government's firm stance on not to tolerate any terrorist activities in Bangladesh, saying it will do whatever is necessary to contain this social menace.
Hasina said her government has been taking the country towards development and prosperity facing all hurdles and it is working to ensure people’s security.
She also urged the expatriate Bangladeshis to work hard so that Bangladesh’s is brightened further abroad.
Leaders of Awami League and its associate bodies from across the Europe, including Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Finland, were present at the reception.