The World Health Organization (WHO) has placed the head of its South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), Saima Wazed, on leave amid mounting fraud allegations, according to Financial Times reporting. In an internal email, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that Wazed is on leave and informed regional member states of the leadership change. Catharina Boehme, an assistant director-general based in Geneva, has been appointed interim head of the region during this period.
Wazed, daughter of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was charged in March by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with fraud, forgery, and abuse of power. She faces an arrest warrant and asset seizures, and risks detention if she returns to Bangladesh from her post in India.
According to the FT, the ACC has formally requested the WHO’s assistance in facilitating Wazed’s appearance before Bangladeshi courts and in complying with international procedures for a “serious criminal offence.” Among the accusations are allegations that Wazed illegally obtained a government plot and used her influence to funnel approximately Tk330 million ($2.7 million) into the Shuchona Foundation, a non-profit she chairs. Several banks were reportedly pressured into routing funds to the foundation, raising concerns over transparency and misuse of office.
The charges come amid wider anti-corruption investigations into the former ruling family in Bangladesh, which was ousted last year in a student-led uprising. Wazed’s mother, Hasina, had led the country for over a decade in increasingly authoritarian fashion. The new interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, welcomed the WHO’s decision to sideline Wazed, calling it “an important first step towards accountability.”
“We firmly believe that a permanent resolution is necessary, one that removes Ms Wazed from her position, revokes all associated privileges, and restores integrity to this prestigious role,” the interim Bangladeshi government said in a statement to the FT.
Wazed, a psychologist known for her work in autism advocacy, has not commented publicly and did not respond to repeated FT requests. Her brother, Sajeeb Wazed, denounced the charges as politically motivated and described the investigations as part of a “smear campaign” by the Yunus administration.
The WHO typically exercises limited authority over its six regional offices, which are largely governed by their respective member states. However, the central agency can intervene in exceptional cases of alleged corruption. Wazed was elected SEARO regional director in 2023 under a cloud of controversy, with critics citing nepotism and a lack of qualifications. “If she were not the daughter of the PM, I don’t think she would be a serious candidate,” said Kul Chandra Gautam, former UN assistant secretary-general, at the time of her appointment.
Since taking the role, Wazed’s tenure has been marked by turbulence. In May, Indonesia — one of SEARO’s largest member states — announced its decision to leave the agency and join WHO’s Western Pacific Region. SEARO oversees health policy and programs across 11 countries, covering a population of over 2 billion and commanding a $500 million annual budget.
Calls for reform within WHO’s regional governance are now growing louder. Kent Buse, a professor at Monash University Malaysia, urged a complete overhaul of how regional directors are elected. “A more rigorous vetting process, greater transparency in campaign financing, and placing integrity at the core of appointments might have raised concerns about her candidacy if implemented,” he said.
In a related fallout, Tulip Siddiq—a UK Labour MP and niece of Hasina—was forced to step down as the UK’s anti-corruption minister after being linked to property allegedly awarded through her family’s political connections. She has also been issued an arrest warrant by Bangladeshi authorities. Her lawyers strongly denied all allegations, calling them “completely baseless.”
As scrutiny intensifies, the WHO faces a critical test of its commitment to transparency and accountability, particularly within its decentralized regional leadership structure.
