Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed resigns at WHO regional chief amid fraud allegations
PTC News Desk: Saima Wazed, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Southeast Asia regional director and daughter of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned from her post on Wednesday amid fraud investigations by the WHO and Bangladeshi authorities, Reuters reported, citing her resignation letter.
Wazed began her five-year term as the WHO’s Southeast Asia regional director in early 2024. However, she has been on unpaid administrative leave since last year.
Her resignation comes amid allegations related to financial fraud, her academic qualifications and the acquisition of a plot of land in Bangladesh. According to Reuters, Wazed submitted her resignation to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.
In her resignation letter, reviewed by Reuters, Wazed said she decided to step down after being unable to effectively perform her duties. She also said she had lost “all trust and confidence” in Tedros’ leadership.
Wazed also pointed to the financial difficulties caused by being placed on unpaid leave. She said that after nearly a year without receiving a salary, her financial situation had become unsustainable, prompting her to resign.
Fraud and credential allegations
Wazed was placed on leave in July 2025, after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against her in March 2025. The allegations included fraud and forgery.
The charges were filed under Bangladesh’s interim government, which took over after Sheikh Hasina was ousted.
Land deal also under scrutiny
According to Wazed’s resignation letter, the WHO also accused her of illegally acquiring a plot of land in Bangladesh.
Wazed denied any wrongdoing and said she had obtained the land before joining the WHO. She claimed she was legally entitled to the property under a Bangladeshi law covering the families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding leader and Sheikh Hasina’s father.
The case is part of a wider scrutiny of former government officials, members and allies of Sheikh Hasina’s administration following her removal from power after a deadly uprising in Bangladesh in 2024.
- PTC NEWS
