Former Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal (retd) Sheikh Abdul Hannan, who faces corruption allegations, has been arrested in Qatar, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has said.
He was arrested on 15 October, according to an email from Interpol confirming the arrest, the ACC said. Md Akhtarul Islam, deputy director and public relations officer of the commission, confirmed the development on Sunday.
The ACC has filed a case against Sheikh Abdul Hannan over allegations that
he acquired assets beyond his known sources of income.
Following an inquiry into his assets, the commission has taken steps to freeze his bank accounts, attach properties and secure relevant documents for the investigation.
In the first case, the ACC alleges that Sheikh Abdul Hannan acquired assets worth Tk 32,851,506 (about Tk 3.29 crore) beyond his known sources of income.
Suspicious transactions totalling Tk 276,366,701 (about Tk 27.64 crore) were also identified in six bank accounts in his name.
The case was filed under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In a separate case, his wife, Tahmida Begum, has been accused of acquiring assets worth Tk 19,190,304 (about Tk 1.92 crore) beyond her known sources of income.
The ACC has also identified suspicious transactions totalling about Tk 11.8 million (Tk 1.18 crore) in 32 bank accounts in her name.
On an ACC application, a Dhaka court on 6 May last year ordered the attachment or freezing of land, three flats, a seven-storey building under construction and six bank accounts belonging to Sheikh Abdul Hannan.
On 24 May, the court ordered the freezing of 38 bank accounts held in the names of Sheikh Abdul Hannan, his wife Tahmida Begum, and their son, Sheikh Labib Hannan.
The ACC had sought the orders to prevent transactions through the accounts and the transfer of assets.
On 20 September, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Senior Special Judge’s Court also ordered the attachment of 34 decimals of land registered in Sheikh Abdul Hannan’s name in Kismat Malipatan mouza of Kachua upazila in Bagerhat.
The order was issued following an ACC application. The land has a deed value of Tk 1.764 million (Tk 17.64 lakh).
The ACC alleges that Sheikh Abdul Hannan acquired assets through abuse of power, the sale of jobs, bribery and other irregularities and corrupt practices that caused losses to public funds. It also alleges that he laundered money abroad.
The commission said it had obtained information about his movable and immovable assets in Bangladesh and overseas. Investigations into the allegations are continuing.
Sheikh Abdul Hannan served as chief of the Bangladesh Air Force from June 2021 to June 2024.
The allegations against him and his wife have yet to be established through judicial proceedings.