The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed two separate corruption cases against former Bangladesh Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan and his wife Tahmida Begum on charges of amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and suspicious financial transactions involving large sums of money.
The agency's Deputy Director Tanzir Hasib Sarkar filed the two cases as the plaintiff at the ACC's Dhaka Integrated District Office on Sunday, ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhter Hossain confirmed the matter.
He said at a press briefing on Sunday, "During the primary investigation, information was found that former Air Force chief Abdul Hannan had acquired business establishments and other assets in various countries including Qatar and Dubai and that his cronies had acquired huge assets in Canada."
"After the investigation, more information will be collected and these issues will be taken into consideration," he added.
According to the case statement, former Air Force Chief Sheikh Abdul Hannan has acquired assets worth a total of Tk 3.28 crore inconsistently with the known source of income. In addition, the ACC has received information about suspicious transactions worth about Tk 27.63 crore, including deposits of Tk 14.08 and withdrawals of Tk 13.55 in six bank accounts in his name.
On the other hand, Tahmida Begum and her husband Sheikh Abdul Hannan have been named as accused in the second case. The statement said that Tahmida Begum has acquired assets worth Tk 1.91 crore outside the known source of income. In addition, the investigation has also revealed information about suspicious transactions worth about Tk 1.18 crore in 32 bank accounts in her name.
Two cases have been filed against the accused under Section 27(1) of the ACC Act, 2004, Section 4(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2012 and Section 109 of the Penal Code.
Earlier, the court ordered the attachment of two flats of 699 sq ft and 823 sq ft on the 6th floor of a 6-storey building in Khilkhet, a flat of 2,250 sq ft in the Mirpur DOH area, a seven-storey building under construction in the Mirpur Military Officers Residential Project, and two land deeds including more than 700 acres of land in Rupganj, Narayanganj on May 6 this year. At the same time, six bank accounts in his name were frozen.
On May 5, the court imposed a ban on foreign travel for Sheikh Abdul Hannan, his wife Tahmida Begum, son Sheikh Labib Hannan, and daughter Sanjida Akhter.
