Saima Wazed Putul, the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia regional director and daughter of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Wednesday amid fraud investigations by the WHO and Bangladeshi authorities, according to her resignation letter seen by Reuters.
Saima’s resignation comes as the fallout from Hasina’s ouster following a deadly uprising in mid-2024 extends to members of her family. Hasina and several of her political allies face criminal cases in Bangladesh, including over alleged corruption, while some have gone into self-imposed exile.
Saima began a five-year term as the WHO’s Southeast Asia regional director in early 2024 and was placed on unpaid administrative leave late last year. She was first suspended in July 2025 after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed fraud and forgery charges against her in March.
The WHO accused Saima of financial fraud related to travel to China and of misrepresenting her academic credentials, according to a July 3 letter from her lawyers to the agency seen by Reuters. Putul has denied the allegations, Reuters reports.
The WHO also accused her of illegally acquiring a plot of land in Bangladesh, according to her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Saima said she acquired the land before joining the WHO and was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law covering the families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She also said she had sincerely served the countries in her region since being elected WHO Southeast Asia regional director, but decided to resign after being prevented from carrying out her duties effectively.
In her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, she added that she had lost trust and confidence in his leadership and that nearly a year without pay after being placed on unpaid leave had made her financial situation untenable.
