<p class="title">Bangladesh's High Court on Monday asked micro-credit pioneer and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to surrender to a labour court by November 7 over the firing of three employees by Grameen Communications, where he is chairman.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The order came in response to a petition seeking a stay of an arrest warrant for Yunus issued by the labor court last month, when he was abroad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A two-judge panel at the High Court asked the authorities not to arrest or harass Yunus before he surrenders by November 7, said his lawyer, Rokanuddin Mahmud.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The three employees filed the cases in July, saying they were terminated illegally after seeking to form a trade union.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yunus founded Grameen Bank, which provides small loans to impoverished people and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He has faced several investigations by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has frosty relations with him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He was removed from the bank after surpassing retirement age.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A government-appointed investigation found that Grameen Bank violated its charter as a micro-lender by creating affiliates that did not benefit the bank's shareholders, and recommended the government merge those businesses with the bank.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yunus maintains those businesses are independent and should remain so.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hasina was reportedly angered by Yunus' 2007 attempt to form his own political party backed by the influential army when the country was under a state of emergency and Hasina was behind bars.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hasina came to power in a 2008 election and ordered an investigation of Yunus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Currently Grameen Bank has about 9 million members, 97 per cent of whom are women.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With 2,568 branches, the bank provides services in 81,677 villages, covering more than 93 per cent of the total villages in Bangladesh.</p>
<p class="title">Bangladesh's High Court on Monday asked micro-credit pioneer and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to surrender to a labour court by November 7 over the firing of three employees by Grameen Communications, where he is chairman.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The order came in response to a petition seeking a stay of an arrest warrant for Yunus issued by the labor court last month, when he was abroad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A two-judge panel at the High Court asked the authorities not to arrest or harass Yunus before he surrenders by November 7, said his lawyer, Rokanuddin Mahmud.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The three employees filed the cases in July, saying they were terminated illegally after seeking to form a trade union.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yunus founded Grameen Bank, which provides small loans to impoverished people and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He has faced several investigations by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has frosty relations with him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He was removed from the bank after surpassing retirement age.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A government-appointed investigation found that Grameen Bank violated its charter as a micro-lender by creating affiliates that did not benefit the bank's shareholders, and recommended the government merge those businesses with the bank.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yunus maintains those businesses are independent and should remain so.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hasina was reportedly angered by Yunus' 2007 attempt to form his own political party backed by the influential army when the country was under a state of emergency and Hasina was behind bars.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hasina came to power in a 2008 election and ordered an investigation of Yunus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Currently Grameen Bank has about 9 million members, 97 per cent of whom are women.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With 2,568 branches, the bank provides services in 81,677 villages, covering more than 93 per cent of the total villages in Bangladesh.</p>