Saima Wazed, daughter of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned as the World Health Organisation's (WHO) regional director for Southeast Asia amid investigations into allegations of fraud and other irregularities.
Wazed's resignation on Wednesday ended her tenure at the UN health agency, according to a resignation letter seen by Reuters. She had been serving a five-year term after taking charge of the regional office in early 2024.
WHO leave and allegations
The WHO had placed Wazed on unpaid administrative leave amid investigations by the agency and Bangladeshi authorities. Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against her in March 2025, alleging fraud and forgery.
According to a letter from Wazed's lawyers to the WHO, the agency also accused her of financial fraud involving travel to China and of misrepresenting her academic qualifications. Wazed has denied the allegations.
The WHO further alleged that she had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh. Wazed said she obtained the land before joining the WHO and was eligible for it under a Bangladeshi law concerning the families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's founding leader and Hasina's father.
Wazed has also disputed the other allegations. She said the $901 travel-related issue was the result of an administrative error by an assistant handling routine reimbursement claims. On her qualifications, she said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh and had been transparent with WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus about it.
‘Lost all trust and confidence’
In her resignation letter, Wazed said she had been unable to carry out the responsibilities for which she was elected.
"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 wrote, according to Reuters.
She also said remaining without pay for nearly a year had made her financial circumstances untenable.
The WHO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The agency had previously said Wazed remained on leave but declined to discuss the matter, citing confidentiality.
Resignation follows Hasina's ouster
Wazed's departure comes amid continuing political repercussions from the fall of her mother, Sheikh Hasina, in August 2024.
Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh after a student-led protest movement escalated into nationwide unrest. More than 300 people were killed during the violence, according to contemporary Hindustan Times reports. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office days later.
Hasina has remained in Delhi since leaving Bangladesh, while several of her political allies have faced criminal cases in Bangladesh.
Wazed was based in New Delhi before joining the WHO's Southeast Asia leadership. Two sources cited by Reuters said the organisation had been preparing to formally remove her from the post and begin the process of selecting her successor. Regional directors are elected by WHO member states for five-year terms.