Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia and daughter of ousted Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Sept. 9, 2026 amid fraud and forgery probes by the WHO and Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission. Wazed — who had been on unpaid leave since late 2025 — denied allegations of travel-related financial fraud and misrepresenting credentials, saying a disputed $901 reimbursement was an administrative error. She also said a contested land purchase predated her WHO service and cited loss of trust in WHO leadership and financial hardship as reasons for stepping down.
Saima Wazed Resigns as WHO Southeast Asia Director Amid Fraud Investigations
FILE PHOTO: Saima Wazed, daughter of Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, smiles as India's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan (not pictured), presents her the book authored by him, "A Tale of Two Drops", in Dhaka, Bangladesh, September 11, 2014, in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on August 21, 2026. India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Saima Wazed, the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Southeast Asia and daughter of ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Sept. 9, 2026, according to a resignation letter seen by Reuters.
Wazed, who began a five-year term in early 2024, had been placed on administrative leave after fraud and forgery charges were filed against her by Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission in March 2025. She was first put on leave in July 2025 and was later placed on unpaid administrative leave by WHO late in 2025.
In a July 3, 2026 letter from Wazed's lawyers to WHO leadership, the agency alleged she had "committed financial fraud in relation to her travel to China" and misrepresented academic credentials. Wazed has denied the allegations and said the travel reimbursement issue involved $901 and was an administrative oversight by an assistant. She also said she holds an honorary doctorate for work on autism and had been transparent about that qualification with WHO leadership.
Her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, seen by Reuters, also addressed a separate allegation that she illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh. Wazed said the land purchase predated her WHO employment and that she was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law covering families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's independence leader and her grandfather.
"I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done," Wazed 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."
Wazed added that nearly a year without remuneration after being put on unpaid leave had made her financial situation "untenable," and she therefore chose to step aside. She declined further comment.
The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency previously confirmed she was on leave but declined to discuss details, citing confidentiality.
Two unnamed sources told Reuters the WHO was preparing to formally remove Wazed and planned to open nominations for the regional director role on Oct. 12, vet applications in December and hold elections on Jan. 24. Regional directors are highly influential health-policy officials who coordinate outbreak responses and adapt WHO policy to regional circumstances. The Southeast Asia region includes member states such as Bangladesh and India.
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