GENEVA — Saima Wazed, the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia regional director and daughter of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has officially resigned from her post following a series of damaging fraud and forgery allegations.
Wazed, who assumed office in early 2024 for a five-year term, stepped down after being placed on unpaid administrative leave by UN leadership. Her departure comes on the heels of a widening probe led by both the WHO and Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, which initially filed charges against her in March 2025.
According to official correspondence and her resignation letter addressed to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the UN health agency accused Wazed of committing financial fraud concerning travel expenses to China, misrepresenting her academic credentials, and illegally acquiring a plot of land in Bangladesh.
Wazed has vehemently denied all accusations. In statements provided by her legal representation, she characterized the travel discrepancy as an administrative oversight involving a minor $901 reimbursement claim processed by an assistant. Regarding her academic background, she maintained that she was entirely transparent about holding an honorary doctorate recognizing her extensive advocacy work for autism. Furthermore, she defended the acquisition of the disputed land, stating it was secured prior to her tenure at the WHO under legislation protecting the family of Bangladesh's founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In her blistering resignation letter, Wazed cited a complete breakdown of professional trust under Tedros's leadership, noting that nearly a year without compensation rendered her financial situation untenable.
"Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO," Wazed wrote. "In these circumstances, I am choosing to step aside."
The high-profile resignation underscores the deepening fallout rippling through international institutions stemming from the political upheaval in Bangladesh following Hasina's ouster. The WHO is expected to move forward with a special election process to fill the vacant regional leadership seat.
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