Saima Wazed, the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia regional director and daughter of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned from her position following fraud investigations by the UN agency and Bangladeshi authorities.
Wazed submitted her resignation on Wednesday, effective immediately, according to her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, seen by Reuters. Her departure comes after nearly a year on unpaid administrative leave and follows allegations concerning financial fraud, her academic credentials and the acquisition of land in Bangladesh, all of which she has denied or disputed.
Wazed took office as the WHO’s Southeast Asia regional director in early 2024 for a five-year term. She was first placed on leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, operating under the interim government that replaced Hasina, filed charges against her in March that year alleging fraud and forgery. The WHO subsequently placed her on unpaid administrative leave.
According to a separate letter from Wazed’s lawyers to the WHO dated July 3, 2026, and seen by Reuters, the agency accused her of “committing financial fraud in relation to her travel to China” and of misrepresenting her academic credentials. Wazed denied the allegations. Her lawyers said the travel issue involved $901 and resulted from an administrative oversight by an assistant processing routine reimbursement requests.
On the academic credentials allegation, Wazed said she held an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh and had been transparent with Tedros about the qualification.
The WHO also alleged that Wazed had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh, according to her resignation letter. Wazed disputed that allegation, saying she had acquired the land before joining the WHO and was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law covering the families of the country’s independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was Hasina’s father.
In her resignation letter, Wazed said she had been elected to serve the countries in her region and had sincerely carried out those responsibilities. But she said the circumstances surrounding her leave had made it impossible for her to continue effectively in the role.
“I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done,” she wrote.
“Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO,” she added. “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.”
Wazed declined to comment further. The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, the agency confirmed that she remained on leave but declined to provide further details about the case, citing confidentiality.
Her resignation comes as the WHO prepares to replace her. Two sources said the UN agency had been planning to formally remove Wazed from the position. One source said nominations for the post would be announced on October 12, applications vetted in December and an election held on January 24. The sources declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Regional directors occupy influential positions within the WHO, overseeing responses to outbreaks and emergencies while adapting the organisation’s policies to regional conditions. They are elected every five years by member states, including Bangladesh and India in the Southeast Asia region.
Wazed’s resignation also reflects the wider fallout from Hasina’s ouster following a deadly uprising around mid-2024. The consequences of Hasina’s removal have extended beyond her political allies to members of her family. Many of her former allies face criminal charges, including allegations of corruption in Bangladesh, while Hasina herself lives in self-imposed exile.
For the WHO, Wazed’s departure closes a troubled chapter in the leadership of its Southeast Asia region. For Wazed, the resignation ends a five-year mandate that was interrupted after allegations from both Bangladeshi authorities and the UN health agency placed her under investigation and left her unable to perform her duties.
