Who Is Bangladesh’s Former Air Chief Sheikh Abdul Hannan? Arrested In Qatar Over Corruption Allegations

Bangladesh’s former Chief of Air Staff, Sheikh Abdul Hannan, has been detained in Qatar over corruption allegations in his home country, with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) saying it learnt of his arrest 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 disproportionate to his known sources of income and conducting suspicious financial transactions through multiple bank accounts. The allegations remain under investigation and have not been established as proven offences.

What Are The Corruption Allegations Against Hannan?

According to the ACC, Interpol formally informed the commission of Hannan’s detention in Qatar through an email.

The commission 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.

Investigators allege that Hannan accumulated assets worth more than 3.28 crore Bangladeshi taka (Tk) beyond his known sources of income. They also identified suspicious transactions totalling Tk 27.63 crore through six personal bank accounts.

The ACC has further alleged that Hannan left Bangladesh despite an active travel ban and multiple corruption cases against him. Earlier legal measures reportedly included a court order to attach two apartments belonging to the former air chief and freeze his bank accounts.

The investigation has also named Hannan’s wife as an accused. 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 flagged suspicious transactions amounting to Tk 1.18 crore through 32 bank accounts in her name.

The ACC has reportedly traced Hannan’s 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?

Sheikh Abdul Hannan is a retired four-star officer who served as chief of the Bangladesh Air Force for three years. He was commissioned into the force on July 14, 1984, as a general duties pilot and went on to hold several operational, training and leadership positions.

Hannan is a Category ‘A’ pilot and a qualified flying instructor, with 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, from which 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 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, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat.

Hannan served until June 11, 2024, when he retired after completing his three-year term. His appointment and retirement took place under the Awami League government led by Hasina, who was removed from power in August 2024 following a mass uprising.

Hannan’s detention in Qatar marks a further development in the corruption investigation against the former military chief. The next steps in the case, including any possible extradition or other legal proceedings, have not been detailed by the ACC in the information made public so far.

(With PTI Inputs)