Saima Wazed, the World Health Organization’s regional director for South-East Asia and daughter of ousted former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned from her post on Wednesday, September 10, 2026, amid fraud investigations by the WHO and Bangladeshi authorities, according to sources. Wazed had taken charge as the regional director in early 2024 for a five-year term. Her resignation comes after she was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the WHO last year, following allegations and legal proceedings involving fraud, forgery and misuse of power.

Wazed was first placed on leave in July 2025, after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed cases against her in connection with the allegations. The WHO subsequently kept her on unpaid administrative leave as investigations continued. The proceedings have raised questions about her conduct during her tenure and her ability to continue leading the organisation’s South-East Asia regional office while the allegations remained under examination.

In her resignation letter, Wazed reportedly said that she had lost all trust and confidence in the leadership of the WHO. Her decision to step down ends her tenure considerably earlier than the five-year term for which she was appointed. The circumstances surrounding her departure are expected to draw further attention to the investigations and to the process through which she was appointed to the senior regional position.

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Wazed assumed the WHO regional director role in 2024 after being selected to head the organisation's South-East Asia regional office. The position carries responsibility for coordinating the WHO's work across countries in the region, including public health programmes and cooperation with national governments. Her appointment had already attracted attention because of her family background and her status as the daughter of Sheikh Hasina, who was Bangladesh's long-serving prime minister before being ousted.

The allegations against Wazed involve claims of fraud, forgery and misuse of power, with cases filed by Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission. The WHO's decision to place her on administrative leave reflected the ongoing nature of the matter, while the investigations have continued separately through relevant authorities. The allegations have not, by themselves, established criminal liability, and the legal and investigative processes will determine the outcome of the cases.

Wazed's resignation now leaves the WHO South-East Asia regional leadership facing a transition. The organisation is expected to follow its procedures for managing the vacancy and determining future leadership of the regional office. Her departure also brings an end to a tenure that began with her appointment in 2024 but was later overshadowed by the investigations and her administrative leave. The resignation letter's criticism of WHO leadership is likely to add another dimension to the scrutiny surrounding her departure.

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