New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- Saima Wazed, daughter of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned as the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Director for Southeast Asia amid ongoing investigations by the global health agency and Bangladeshi authorities into allegations of fraud and forgery.
Wazed submitted her resignation on Wednesday, bringing an early end to a five-year term that began in 2024. She had been placed on unpaid administrative leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission filed allegations of fraud and forgery against her. The WHO subsequently investigated Wazed over several allegations. These included alleged financial irregularities linked to a trip to China, claims that she had misrepresented her academic qualifications and an allegation concerning the acquisition of a plot of land in Bangladesh.
Wazed has denied the allegations.
According to a letter from her lawyers to the WHO in July 2026, Wazed rejected the allegation of travel-related financial fraud, saying the issue involved an administrative mistake by an assistant handling routine reimbursement claims. She said the amount involved was $901.
On the question of her academic credentials, Wazed said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work related to autism in Bangladesh. She also maintained that she had been transparent about the qualification with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO also alleged that Wazed had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh. In her resignation letter, she disputed this allegation, saying she had acquired the property before joining the WHO and was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law applicable to members of the family of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's founding leader and her maternal grandfather.
In her resignation letter to Tedros, Wazed said she had been elected to serve the countries in the Southeast Asia region and had carried out her responsibilities sincerely. However, she alleged that she had been prevented from effectively performing her duties and said this had caused her to lose trust and confidence in the WHO leadership. Wazed also pointed to her financial situation, saying she had gone nearly a year without receiving remuneration after being placed on unpaid leave. She said her financial circumstances had become untenable and that, under these circumstances, she had decided to step aside. Wazed did not provide any further comment on her resignation. The WHO had previously confirmed that Wazed was on leave but declined to discuss the details of the case, citing confidentiality. The organisation did not immediately issue a detailed response to her resignation. Wazed assumed the position of WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia in early 2024 for a five-year term. Regional directors are elected by member states for five-year periods and play a key role in coordinating the WHO's work across their respective regions, including responses to disease outbreaks and other health emergencies.
The Southeast Asia region includes countries such as India and Bangladesh. The resignation comes as preparations are reportedly underway for the selection of a new regional director. Sources indicated that the nomination process could begin on October 12, with candidates expected to undergo scrutiny in December before an election on January 24. Wazed's resignation also comes against the backdrop of political upheaval in Bangladesh following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Several individuals associated with her administration have faced legal and corruption-related cases since her departure from power. The allegations against Wazed remain disputed, with her rejecting the accusations raised by both Bangladeshi authorities and the WHO.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.