Sheikh Hasina’s daughter Saima Wazed resigns as WHO regional chief after fraud allegations: What to know | Today’s news
Saima Wazed, the daughter of ousted former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned as the World Health Organization’s regional director for Southeast Asia following a fraud investigation by the UN agency and Bangladeshi authorities.
Wazed, who took over as head of the WHO regional office for Southeast Asia in early 2024 for a five-year term, submitted her resignation to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday, according to a resignation letter seen by Reuters.
Her resignation comes after she was placed on unpaid administrative leave over allegations including financial fraud, misrepresenting academic credentials and illegal land acquisition in Bangladesh. Wazed denied the allegations.
Who is Saima Wazed?
Saima Wazed is the daughter of Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Prime Minister of Bangladesh after a deadly uprising around mid-2024.
Wazed was elected WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia in 2023 and will take office in early 2024. Regional directors are among the most influential representatives of WHO health policy, overseeing outbreak and emergency responses and adapting the organization’s policies to regional conditions.
Directors are elected every five years by member states in their respective regions. Bangladesh and India are among the countries in the WHO South-East Asia region.
Before joining the WHO, Wazed was known for her work on autism in Bangladesh. She also said she holds an honorary doctorate related to the work.
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Why did Saima Wazed get time off?
The WHO placed Wazed on unpaid administrative leave in July 2025 after the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission filed fraud and forgery charges against her in March of that year.
According to a July 2026 letter from her WHO lawyers seen by Reuters, the organization accused Wazed of financial fraud related to travel to China and of misrepresenting her academic credentials.
The WHO also alleged that it had illegally acquired land in Bangladesh, according to Wazed’s resignation letter.
Wazed denied the allegations.
As for the travel-related charges, her attorneys said the $901 involved was administrative oversight of an assistant handling routine reimbursement requests.
Based on allegations of academic credentials, Wazed said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh and was transparent with Tedros about the qualifications.
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What did Wazed say about the plot allegation?
She said she was entitled to the property under Bangladeshi law, which covers the families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the independence leader of Bangladesh, and her maternal grandfather.
In her resignation letter, Wazed criticized WHO leadership and said she had lost confidence in Tedros.
“I was elected to the position of regional director to serve the countries in my region, which I did sincerely,” she wrote.
She said WHO’s decision to keep her on leave prevented her from performing her duties.
“I have lost all confidence and trust in your leadership of the WHO since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties,” Wazed wrote.
She also said almost a year without pay had made her financial situation “unsustainable”.
“Under these circumstances, I choose to step down,” she wrote.
The WHO was reportedly preparing to replace her
Two sources told Reuters that the WHO was preparing to formally remove Wazed as regional director.
One of the sources said the organization plans to announce nominations for the post on Oct. 12, applications for vets in December and hold an election on Jan. 24.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
