Saima Wazed, daughter of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned as the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia regional director amid fraud investigations by the UN health agency and Bangladeshi authorities.
Wazed resigned on Wednesday, bringing an early end to her five-year term that began in 2024, according to her resignation letter seen by Reuters.
She had been placed on unpaid administrative leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against her alleging fraud and forgery. Wazed has denied the allegations.
The allegations centre partly on the circumstances surrounding Wazed’s appointment as WHO regional director and the selection process that led to her taking up the post.
According to Reuters, the WHO has accused Wazed of financial fraud linked to travel to China, misrepresenting her academic credentials and illegally acquiring a plot of land in Bangladesh.
Wazed has rejected the allegations. In a July letter to the WHO, her lawyers said a disputed travel reimbursement of $901 resulted from an administrative error by an assistant. Regarding her academic qualifications, Wazed said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh and had disclosed the qualification to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In her resignation letter, Wazed said she had lost trust and confidence in WHO leadership. She also said that nearly a year without remuneration had made her financial situation untenable.
The WHO has previously declined to provide detailed public comment on the allegations, saying it was maintaining confidentiality regarding Wazed’s case.
Wazed took charge as WHO Southeast Asia regional director in early 2024 for a five-year term. Her resignation means the organisation will now begin the process of selecting her replacement.
Reuters, citing sources, reported that nominations for the post could begin on October 12, with candidates expected to be vetted in December and an election scheduled for January 24. Regional directors are elected every five years by member states in their respective WHO regions.
Bangladesh and India are among the countries in the WHO Southeast Asia region.
Wazed’s position had also remained politically sensitive because of her relationship with Hasina, who was Bangladesh’s prime minister before leaving office amid political turmoil. The allegations surrounding Wazed’s WHO appointment have consequently drawn attention in both Bangladesh and internationally.
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