Former Air Force chief Hannan arrested in Qatar

Former Chief of the Air Force and accused in a corruption case, retired Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan, has been arrested in Qatar. The country's police arrested him three days ago. This afternoon, Sunday, the secretary of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will hold a press conference to provide details on the matter.

The matter was confirmed to the ACC through an email from Interpol. The agency's Deputy Director Md. Akhtarul Islam also confirmed the matter to Agamir Somoy.

Shaikh Abdul Hannan served as Air Force Chief from 2021 until June 11, 2024, during the Awami League government.

Within a month and a half of Sheikh Hannan's retirement, the government of Sheikh Hasina fell in a student-public uprising. Nearly a year later, on July 27, 2025, the ACC filed two cases against him and his wife Tahmida Begum on charges of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering.

According to ACC officials, they found information that Shaikh Hannan had acquired wealth worth Tk 328,851,506 inconsistent with his known income. They also found information on suspicious transactions of Tk 276,366,700 in six bank accounts in his name.

The ACC had also reported at the time that it had found information about Shaikh Hannan's assets in various countries, including Qatar and Dubai.

Following the case, on the ACC's application, the court imposed a travel ban on Shaikh Hannan. However, he had traveled abroad before that.