DHAKA: A joint letter signed by forty international figures, including Bono, Hillary Clinton, and Ban Ki-moon, called on Bangladesh to end Muhammad Yunus' "unfair" harassment and attacks.
With his groundbreaking micro-credit bank, Yunus is credited with lifting millions of people out of poverty. However, he has had a falling out with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has said that Yunus is "sucking blood" from the poor.
Last year, the anti-graft watchdog ordered a comprehensive investigation into Yunus chairs, and Hasina has personally attacked him, blaming him for the World Bank's withdrawal from a bridge project that was plagued by allegations of corruption.
The letter endorsed by previous UN boss Boycott, previous US secretary of state Clinton, U2 artist Bono, previous US VP Al Violence and others said that they had "profound worries" about Yunus' "prosperity" and capacity to zero in on his work.
In the letter, which was also published in the Washington Post newspaper, they wrote, "It is... painful to see Prof Yunus, a man of impeccable integrity, and his life's work unfairly attacked, repeatedly harassed, and investigated by your government."
The government did not immediately respond with a response. The Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh, which is run by the government, is wrapping up its investigation into Yunus and his social business firms.