무하마드 유누스: 법적 분쟁에 직면한 소액 금융의 선구자

소액 금융으로 유명한 무하마드 유누스가 방글라데시에서 정치적 논란과 전 세계적인 지지 속에 종신형에 처해질 수 있는 법적 혼란에 직면해 있습니다.

### 무하마드 유누스의 법적 분쟁: 소액 금융의 선구자 대 방글라데시 정부
* 🏦 84세의 소액 금융 개척자이자 노벨상 수상자인 **무하마드 유누스는 방글라데시에서 자금 세탁과 횡령 등의 혐의로 종신형**을 선고받고 수감 중입니다.
* 🇧🇩 이 법적 드라마는 수십 년 동안 집권하고 최근 논란이 되고 있는 **4선 연임에 성공한 셰이크 하시나 총리**와 격렬한 논쟁에 얽혀 있습니다.
* 💰 유누스는 1983년 그라민 은행을 설립하여 **빈곤층, 특히 여성에게 소액 대출**을 제공하고 수백만 명을 빈곤에서 벗어나게 했습니다. 은행의 성공과 유누스의 세계적인 명성은 **정부와의 관계를 긴장**시켰습니다.
* 🏛 유누스는 **2011년 정년을 넘겼다는 이유로 그라민 은행에서 해임**되었는데, 그와 그의 지지자들은 **정치적 동기에 의한 조치**라고 믿고 있습니다.
* 📉 정부 비판자들은 유누스의 사건이 방글라데시에서 수천 명의 정치적 반대자들이 투옥되는 등 **권위주의로 나아가는 광범위한 추세의 일부**라고 주장합니다.
* 🌐 이 사건은 외교적 위기를 불러일으켰고 **노벨상 수상자를 포함한 200명 이상의 사람들이 하시나에게 유누스에 대한 법적 소송을 중단할 것을 촉구**하는 등 의견이 분분했습니다.
* 📊 소액 금융이 방글라데시에서 수백만 명의 삶을 실질적으로 개선한 것은 사실이지만, **비평가들은 소액 금융이 빈곤 퇴치에 미치는 영향에 대해 의문**을 제기합니다.
* 🔒 법적 문제에도 불구하고 유누스는 **출국을 거부**하고 일을 계속하겠다고 다짐하며 여전히 도전적인 태도를 유지하고 있습니다.

On February 12, 2024, dozens of men marched into an office building in Bangladesh. Later, there were protests. At the center of it all is a bitter legal drama engulfing this man: 84-year-old Muhammad Yunus. Known around the world as the “banker to the poor, Yunus is possibly the most famous person in Bangladesh. He popularized microfinance, won a Nobel Prize, and lifted millions out of poverty. Now, he could face life imprisonment. Technically, I’ve been convicted. I'm accused of money laundering. I’m accused of forgery, stealing money, and all those kinds of things. We never committed these crimes. The prime minister looks at it in a different way. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ruled Bangladesh for decades. She was recently re-elected to a fourth straight term for a total of five, in a vote contested by the US, with much of the opposition in jail or facing lawsuits.

Her critics see Yunus’ case fitting into broader concerns about a slide toward authoritarianism in Bangladesh. His supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated. The case has erupted into a full-blown diplomatic crisis threatening the country’s reputation as a young, rising economy. So did Muhammed Yunus actually break the law? The narrative from his side is that he is being victimized by the government. I would request everyone to look into the facts first and see what is actually happening. Muhammad Yunus rose to fame giving tiny loans to the world’s poorest, especially women. In 1983, he started the Grameen Bank, using a Bangla word that translates to “village.” The aim was to provide low-interest-rate loans to start small businesses and offer a way out of poverty. I think credit should be treated as a human right. So you have to build new institutions, new rules, new procedures.

So that human rights can be established, Grameen grew in popularity, expanded to other developing countries, and lifted millions out of poverty. By the 1990s, its success caught the eyes of the world. Today, Grameen’s footprint is global, and its affiliated companies have diversified into telecommunications and food products. Grameen’s success and Yunus’ global fame haven't exactly endeared him to the prime minister. For over a decade, he’s been under investigation by Hasina’s government. And now, the stakes have never been higher. Everything is affected in my personal life. My wife is a dementia patient. She totally depends on me. In January 2024, Yunus was sentenced to six months in jail, convicted of violating labor laws. He denies the charges. But he still faces around 200 charges, including graft, money laundering, and embezzlement. Bangladesh authorities accused Yunus and others of embezzling millions of dollars.

They also alleged Yunus transferred funds from Grameen's telecom unit 
into his personal accounts. If convicted, he could spend 
the rest of his life in jail. If he’s scared, 
you wouldn’t necessarily know it. He is extremely, 
obsessively optimistic. The world is falling down, he could be going to jail, and he would be like, “Get me a table, 
I’ll do my work in jail.” So, it’s infectious. The prime minister has 
stood behind the charges, insisting there’s nothing political 
or personal about his prosecution. Two sides are believing 
in two different narratives. From the government’s side, we are saying that the law 
is taking its due course. But Mr. Yunus and his supporters are 
saying that the entire trial process is being influenced by the government. For years, Hasina has accused Yunus 
of running sham businesses, evading taxes, and taking advantage of the poor.

with his microfinance bank, Grameen. Sheikh Hasina accused you of treating 
the bank as your own personal property, and of “sucking blood 
from the poor” by overcharging. How did you react to that sort of remark? These are all baseless accusations because Grameen Bank’s interest rate 
has been the lowest in the country. Lowest among all 
the microcredit organizations  around the world. After a government review, Yunus was dismissed from the Grameen Bank in 2011  because he had stayed on past the legal retirement age of 60.  Grameen Bank is not the same 
Grameen Bank that I created. This was taken over 
by the government in 2011. Yunus and his supporters believe Hasina was behind the dismissal 
and other efforts to sideline him.  Everybody tries to find out what is the reason. Why is she against me? One is jealousy. She’s not famous and I’m famous.

that kind of thing. Another is political. She finds me a threat. Yunus briefly dabbled in politics, launching a political party in 2007 called “Citizens Power.” After 10 weeks, I said, “No.” I’m not going to create a party because I’m not meant for political activities. I feel very uncomfortable with politics. According to his supporters, the damage was done, and Hasina saw Yunus as a threat. She’s also gone after Yunus, saying he used his stature to scuttle World Bank funding for this bridge, Bangladesh’s largest. It’s an accusation he denies. Yunus says Hasina hasn’t stopped the harassment. On February 12, 2024, CCTV footage obtained from Yunus shows men representing effectively the government, marching into an office building housing Yunus's nonprofits. 35 people burst into our building, defying all our rules of entry and procedures.

jumped over the reception gates and so on. They’d occupy the building for days, taking over offices and locking out staff. They cursed at everybody, shouted at everybody, and our women employees throughout the building got very scared. Dozens of anti-Yunus protesters later came outside, some affiliated with Bangladesh’s ruling party, the Awami League. Grameen Bank says there was “no incident of forceful occupation.” More than 200 people, including celebrities and Nobel laureates, have urged Hasina to suspend all legal proceedings against Yunus. Vinod Khosla, a Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist who has supported Grameen projects, is one of them. Professor Yunus is being persecuted, and I think it's important that everybody who can have a voice speak up for him. I haven't met too many people with the kind of integrity, and the kind of very broad impact-oriented values he has. Kerry Kennedy

a human rights attorney and activist from the Kennedy political dynasty, has been a supporter for decades. This isn't just about Yunus. This is about saying the government can come after anyone. Members of the press, opposition, political figures, human rights defenders have all faced imprisonment, torture, death. Hasina is a towering political figure in Bangladesh. The daughter of the country’s first president who was assassinated in a coup. She was instrumental in Bangladesh’s dramatic economic rise. Poverty was cut significantly over the course of 12 years. She also improved labor conditions and strengthened women’s rights. But in recent years, critics say her government’s turned hostile to civil liberties, using the courts to jail thousands of political opponents fuelling a climate that activists say is transforming the multi-party democracy into an authoritarian state. Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won a fourth consecutive term in office, but turnout was only around 40%, after a vote marred by violence.

and boycotted by the main opposition. This comes as the country is also facing a sharp drop in foreign direct investment. If a political system is not transparent, if it has vendettas and other agendas, it will reduce foreign direct 
investment very substantially. Across Bangladesh, 40 years of microfinance has tangibly improved the lives of millions of poor people.  Ali Hossain has felt the impact 
of Grameen Bank in his life. Today, Hossain works as a lawyer.  Grameen Bank has loaned nearly $40 billion, and inspired similar projects 
in over 100 countries. We made Grameen Bank what we call
a “social business”. Business to help people rather than 
make money for anybody. The right microcredit, the company makes profit, profit goes back to the borrowers. But to Yunus’ critics,  the $200 billion dollar microfinance industry overstates its role in alleviating poverty 
in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

One thing for sure is that Grameen Bank succeeded in terms of its own growth. It kept on growing. But with that, how many people, the recipients of the loans, the real people, actually grew? That, we don't know. Because we saw many other instances where people actually suffered. Back at home, the Yunus family keeps a bag packed with clothing and medicine in case the house is raided by authorities. They are insisting that I should leave the country. And my argument is, look, I live here. This is where it began. These are all my colleagues who work with me. I can leave. But what happens to my colleagues? And I said, “No, I'm not going to destroy everything that I’ve built.” And we will continue. And I don't see why I cannot do that.

The Controversial Case Against the 'Banker to the Poor'

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무하마드 유누스의 법률 드라마

소액 금융의 대중화로 유명한 84세의 무하마드 유누스와 관련된 격렬한 법적 드라마에서 수십 명의 남성이 방글라데시의 한 사무실 건물로 행진했습니다.

유누스는 돈세탁과 위조 혐의를 받고 있으며, 이는 정치적 동기에 의한 것이라고 주장하고 있습니다.

그의 사건은 방글라데시의 권위주의에 대한 광범위한 우려의 일부로 간주되어 국가의 명성을 위협하고 있습니다.

유누스는 빈곤층에게 저금리 대출을 제공하여 빈곤에서 벗어날 수 있는 길을 제시함으로써 명성을 얻었지만, 그의 지지자들은 그가 정부에 의해 희생당하고 있다고 믿고 있습니다.

그라민 은행과 무하마드 유누스를 둘러싼 논란

그라민 은행은 개발도상국의 수백만 명을 빈곤에서 벗어나게 해준다는 명성을 얻으며 전 세계로 사업을 확장했습니다.

하지만 설립자인 무하마드 유누스는 6개월 징역형과 200여 건의 고소를 당하는 등 법적 문제에 직면해 있습니다.

방글라데시 정부는 유누스를 횡령 및 재정 비리 혐의로 기소했으며, 유누스는 논란이 많은 재판 과정에서 자신의 무죄를 주장하고 있습니다.

유누스와 그라민 은행 및 정부와의 지속적인 투쟁

유누스는 그라민 은행을 개인 소유물로 취급하고 가난한 사람들에게 과다한 이자를 부과했다는 비난을 부인하며 은행의 낮은 이자율을 이유로 들었습니다.

2011년 정년을 넘겨 은행에서 해고된 유누스는 정부의 인수로 인해 은행이 바뀌었다고 주장합니다.

그는 하시나의 행동이 질투와 정치적 위협에서 비롯된 것이라고 믿지만, 그가 정치에 잠깐 발을 담근 것은 불편한 일입니다.

2024년 유누스의 사무실 건물에 침입하는 등 하시나 정부의 지속적인 괴롭힘은 그의 투쟁이 계속되고 있음을 반영합니다.

유누스 교수와 방글라데시 하시나 총리를 둘러싼 논란

유누스 교수는 법적 소송에 직면해 있으며, 200명 이상의 사람들이 이 사건의 중단을 촉구하고 있습니다.

비노드 코슬라, 케리 케네디 등 지지자들은 유누스가 박해를 받고 있으며 목소리를 낼 자격이 있다고 믿고 있습니다.

하시나 총리는 방글라데시의 경제 성장과 노동 및 여성 인권 개선에 기여했지만, 시민의 자유와 정치적 반대자에 대한 적대감으로 인해 권위주의라는 비난에 직면해 있습니다.

그라민 은행과 소액 금융의 영향력

방글라데시의 소액 금융은 그라민 은행의 괄목할 만한 성장에도 불구하고 빈곤 퇴치에 대한 영향력이 과장되었다는 비판에 직면해 있습니다.

은행의 설립자인 유누스는 반대와 퇴진 위협에도 불구하고 방글라데시에 남아 사업을 계속하겠다는 결의를 다지고 있습니다.

그라민 은행의 '사회적 비즈니스' 모델은 수십억 달러를 대출하고 전 세계적으로 유사한 프로젝트에 영감을 주었지만, 대출을 받는 사람들에게 실제로 어떤 영향을 미쳤는지는 아직 불확실합니다.