Saima Wazed, daughter of Sheikh Hasina, resigns as WHO Regional Head amid allegations of fraud

Saima Wazed, the WHO Southeast Asia Regional Director and daughter of deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has reportedly resigned amid ongoing fraud investigations. Her stepping down highlights how the political repercussions of Hasina’s mid-2024 removal continue to impact her family members alongside her former allies.

Wazed, who began her five-year term in early 2024, was placed on unpaid leave by the UN health body following formal charges of fraud and forgery brought by Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission in March 2025. Internal WHO inquiries accused her of travel expense fraud in China, misrepresenting academic qualifications, and illegally acquiring property in Bangladesh.

In response, Wazed strongly rejected all allegations. Her legal representatives explained that the travel dispute stemmed from a $901 assistant error during expense processing, clarified that her academic credential was an honorary doctorate for autism advocacy, and maintained that the land acquisition was a legal entitlement as a descendant of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In her resignation letter addressed to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Wazed expressed a total loss of confidence in his leadership, stating that nearly a year on unpaid suspension rendered her financial situation unsustainable. With her departure, the WHO plans to announce new nominations in October, vet candidates in December, and hold regional leadership elections in January.