Saima Wazed’s resignation came after she was placed on unpaid administrative leave last year amid fraud and forgery investigations by the UN agency.
Saima Wazed, daughter of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned as the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia regional director amid fraud and forgery investigations by the UN agency and Bangladeshi authorities.
Wazed’s resignation came after she was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the WHO last year. She had taken charge as regional director in early 2024 for a five-year term.
In her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, sent on Wednesday, Wazed said she had “lost all trust and confidence” in his leadership after being prevented from carrying out her duties.
“I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done,” Wazed said in her resignation letter to Tedros. “Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO.”
“Moreover, after nearly one year without any remuneration following your decision to place me on unpaid leave, my financial situation has become untenable. In these circumstances, I am choosing to step aside,” she added.
Allegations And Wazed’s Defence
Wazed was first placed on leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against her in March that year alleging fraud and forgery.
According to a letter from her lawyers to the WHO, the agency accused Wazed of financial fraud linked to travel to China and of misrepresenting her academic credentials. Wazed has denied the allegations.
She said the travel issue involved an administrative error by an assistant handling routine reimbursement requests and concerned $901.
On the academic credentials allegation, Wazed said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh and had been transparent with Tedros about the qualification.
The WHO also alleged that she had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh. Wazed said she obtained the property before joining the WHO and was entitled to it under Bangladeshi law covering the families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, her grandfather and Bangladesh’s founding leader.