Bangladesh ex-air chief arrested in Qatar over corruption charges, investigators trace alleged wealth to Canada, Dubai

Sheikh Abdul Hannan, Bangladesh’s former Air Chief Marshal, has been arrested in Qatar in connection with corruption allegations in his home country, as per TOI report. Investigators accuse him of accumulating assets worth Tk 3.28 crore beyond his known sources of income and conducting suspicious transactions totalling Tk 27.63 crore through six personal bank accounts.Akhtarul Islam, deputy director of Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said Interpol informed the agency that Qatari authorities detained Hannan on October 15. Islam confirmed the arrest to reporters in Dhaka on Sunday.

The ACC’s investigation has also raised questions about assets held by Hannan’s wife, alleged offshore wealth linked to Canada and Dubai, and properties registered in the names of his children in three countries.

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Bangladesh ACC case against former air chief

According to Islam, the ACC approved the filing of charges against Hannan in July last year under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Investigators allege that Hannan accumulated assets worth more than Tk 3.28 crore that could not be explained by his known sources of income. The agency also identified suspicious transactions amounting to Tk 27.63 crore across six personal bank accounts.

Hannan’s wife is also accused in the case. The ACC alleges that she accumulated assets worth more than Tk 1.91 crore beyond her known sources of income, with assistance from her husband. Investigators identified suspicious transactions totalling Tk 1.18 crore across 32 bank accounts held in her name.

The allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.

Court orders seizure of records, freezing of accounts

In March, a Dhaka court ordered the seizure of income tax records belonging to Hannan and his wife after receiving separate applications from the ACC.

The agency had also accused the former air chief of accumulating wealth beyond his known sources of income. Following its allegations, a court ordered the attachment of two apartments owned by Hannan and the freezing of his bank accounts.

According to the ACC, Hannan left Bangladesh despite an active travel ban and several corruption cases against him.

Investigators have traced his alleged offshore wealth to Canada and Dubai and identified assets registered in the names of his children in three countries.

Who is Sheikh Abdul Hannan?

Hannan joined the Bangladesh Air Force in 1984 as a general duty pilot. He became the force’s 16th Chief of Air Staff on June 12, 2021, and served until his retirement on June 11, 2024.

He held the post during the tenure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, which ended in August 2024 when Hasina resigned and left Bangladesh amid student-led public protests.

Another former service chief faces corruption cases

Former Bangladesh Navy chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan has also faced corruption cases and is reportedly abroad, although no court has imposed a travel ban on him, according to media reports.

Hannan completed his tenure as air chief under the Awami League government, while Hassan retired during the subsequent interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.