WHO Regional Head Saima Wazed Resigns Amid Investigation into Fraud Allegations

Saima Wazed, the daughter of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned as the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional head for Southeast Asia. According to Reuters, Saima stepped down from the WHO on Wednesday, ending her tenure at the WHO amid an investigation by the UN agency and Bangladeshi authorities. Saima Wazed's resignation comes at a time when Hasina's ouster from power is having a political impact on her family and close ones. A mass movement against her government erupted after student protests in August 2024 forced Sheikh Hasina to flee Bangladesh. According to Reuters, the WHO sent Saima Wazed on administrative leave without pay late last year. She was sent on leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission filed a charge sheet against her for fraud in March 2025 under the interim government that succeeded Hasina. The agency accuses Wazed of financial fraud and Tedros of falsifying her credentials.