Bangladesh's former Chief of Air Staff, Sheikh Abdul Hannan, has been arrested in Qatar over corruption allegations in his home country, with the country's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) saying it was informed of his detention through Interpol.
Hannan, who served as the 16th chief of the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) from June 2021 to June 2024, was detained by Qatari authorities on October 15, ACC Deputy Director Md Akhtarul Islam said on Sunday (October 19).
"We have been informed by Interpol that Qatar's law enforcement agency detained him there on October 15," Islam said.
The former air chief is accused of accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income and conducting suspicious financial transactions through multiple bank accounts. The allegations are under investigation, and the claims have not been established as proven offences.
What did Interpol notify Bangladesh about?
According to the ACC, Interpol formally notified the anti-graft agency of Hannan's detention in Qatar through an email. The communication informed the commission that Qatari law enforcement authorities had detained him on October 15.
The notification comes amid an investigation into allegations that Hannan accumulated wealth disproportionate to his declared sources of income and engaged in suspicious financial transactions.
The ACC said it had approved the filing of charges against him in July 2025 under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the commission, Hannan allegedly accumulated assets worth more than Bangladeshi Taka (Tk) 3.28 crore beyond his known sources of income. Investigators also identified suspicious transactions amounting to Tk 27.63 crore through six personal bank accounts.
The ACC has alleged that Hannan managed to leave Bangladesh despite an active travel ban and multiple corruption cases against him.
The detention in Qatar follows earlier legal measures in Bangladesh, including a court order to attach two apartments belonging to the former air chief and freeze his bank accounts.
What are the allegations against Sheikh Abdul Hannan and his wife?
The ACC's investigation has also named Hannan's wife as an accused in the case.
According to the commission, she allegedly accumulated assets worth more than Tk 1.91 crore beyond her known sources of income, with assistance from her husband. Investigators also identified suspicious transactions amounting to Tk 1.18 crore through 32 bank accounts in her name.
The commission has reportedly traced Hannan's alleged offshore wealth to Canada and Dubai. It has also identified assets registered in the names of his children in three countries.
Who is Sheikh Abdul Hannan?
Sheikh Abdul Hannan is a retired four-star air officer who served as the 16th chief of air staff of the Bangladesh Air Force. He was commissioned into the force on July 14, 1984, as a general duties pilot.
During his military career, Hannan served in several operational, training and leadership roles. He is a Category 'A' pilot and a qualified flying instructor. He also held specialist qualifications related to the MI-17/171 helicopter fleet.
His professional education included training at the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Mirpur, Bangladesh, and the Pakistan Air Force Air War College, where he graduated in 1999. He later completed a master's degree in national security and war studies at Pakistan's National Defence University in Islamabad.
Hannan also served in United Nations peacekeeping missions. He was part of the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 and led the Bangladesh Air Force contingent in the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2006–07.
When did Sheikh Abdul Hannan become Bangladesh's air chief?
Then prime minister Sheikh Hasina appointed Hannan as chief of air staff in June 2021. He formally assumed command on June 12, 2021, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat.
Hannan served a three-year term and retired on June 11, 2024. His tenure began and ended during a period of political transition in Bangladesh, with his retirement taking place before the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took office.
Hannan was appointed during the Awami League government led by Hasina, who was later removed from power.
(With PTI inputs)