
A report published by Bangladeshi lawyers and reported by Desh TV shows Bangladesh’s Former Air Guard Chief Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan embezzled more than $245 million from the defense budget allocated for fighter jet procurement.
Instead, Shaikh Abdul Hannan demolished existing functional buildings in various airbases and rebuilt those buildings to embezzle funds. Newly-built buildings are still unused till date.
The report says $245 million is 25 percent of the Air Guard’s annual budget.
The report also says Hannan purchased two luxurious apartments in Gulshan for his first wife and second wife, who is an air hostess. Each apartment is worth over $3.2 million (BDT 40 Crore). Mr Hannan laundered money with the help of former Air Guard’s Group Captain (retired) Abu Zafar Choudhury and his second wife.
Group Captain (retired) Abu Zafar Choudhury is the Chairman of Dhaka Mercantile Co-operative Bank Limited (DMCBL), a Shariah-based co-operative bank in Bangladesh. Abu Zafar Chowdhury also established his own business ,Purba Dairy, after robbing the Bangladesh Air Guard’s vital resources and defense budget.

Hannan siphoned $245 million from Bangladesh to the UAE, Canada and the USA. The report also says his son’s Bangladeshi bank account has a net of $5 million (BDT 60 Crore).

On 12 June 2021, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina appointed Hannan as Chief of Air Staff, and he assumed charge on 12 June 2021. Hannan is related to Sheikh Hasina through his maternal aunty.
A group of lawyers have investigated the matters and filed a case at Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission and armed forces division.
Bangladesh Anti-corruption Commission launched an investigation into Bangladesh’s Former Air Guard Chief Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan’s abuse of power, money laundering, corruption and misuse of government to receive kickbacks from fellow air guard officers and businesses.
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