The government has no role in the Grameen Kalyan tax dispute and the parties concerned must pay under a High Court ruling, the prime minister’s adviser on information and broadcasting said on Tuesday.

Dr Zahed Ur Rahman told a press conference at the Secretariat that the matter was before the courts and that those involved had themselves become petitioners and did not want to pay the tax.

“They may take the case to the Appellate Division; if they cannot sustain the appeal, they will have to pay,” he said.

The dispute concerns a High Court order on the tax waiver for Grameen Kalyan’s BDT 6.66 billion loan and the two writ petitions filed over the matter. On Thursday, the High Court upheld the tax claim by the National Board of Revenue against Grameen Kalyan, an organisation founded by former interim government chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus.

“The government has nothing to do because the case will now proceed at its own pace,” Rahman said. “There’s no involvement of the government in this matter. There’s no question of Dr Yunus or anyone else showing favour or disfavour towards anyone.”

He said the matter was for the judiciary, which he believed was discharging its duties independently.

Bangladesh Seeks Return of Hasina, Other Accused

The prime minister’s adviser during the briefing also called on the relevant countries to hand over Sheikh Hasina and other accused people living abroad to face trial over atrocities committed under the Awami League government.

He said their return was “an important condition” for easing relations with Bangladesh, adding that Bangladesh’s position on Sheikh Hasina and others had been conveyed to the Indian High Commissioner.

“We want Sheikh Hasina, so why would we not want Obaidul Quader and others?” Rahman said.

The adviser said not only Sheikh Hasina but also other people associated with the Awami League government who are staying in different countries would be sought from the relevant countries for return.

He also called for an end to the idea that the Awami League government’s “barbarity” was confined only to the July events.

Earlier in the day, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the Awami League (its activities are now banned), and six others to death over allegations of crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 July uprising.

Also Read: Obaidul Quader, six others sentenced to death

Those sentenced with Quader were AFM Bahauddin Nasim, the party’s joint general secretary; Mohammad Ali Arafat, a former state minister for information and broadcasting; Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, chairman of the Jubo League; Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, its general secretary; Saddam Hossain, central president of the Chhatra League; and Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, its general secretary.

It was the seventh verdict in cases involving crimes against humanity during the uprising. Hasina was tried in absentia and sentenced to death on November 17, 2025 on charges of crimes against humanity.

Across seven verdicts by two tribunals, 68 defendants have been sentenced. Twenty-two have received death sentences, including Hasina, Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan. Eighteen of the 22 are at large; four are in custody.