A Bangladesh court has summoned Joseph Akinkugbe Adelegan, Executive Director of Partners in Population and Development (PPD), an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Dhaka.
On 4 August, the District and Sessions Judge’s Court in Dhaka asked him to appear on 30 November for a hearing on allegations of fund misappropriation and other charges brought against him.
Two criminal cases and a civil suit have been filed against the ED and three other local staff members of the organisation. The allegations in the criminal cases remain under investigation.
A senior PPD staff filed one case in May in the court where he named Adelegan and the three local staff as accused of offences including criminal breach of trust, cheating, conspiracy, intimidation and alleged misappropriation of organisational funds.
The court subsequently directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate and submit a report.
Another PPD staff member filed another case in August, naming Adelegan and the three other staff as accused over allegations including assault, intimidation, and threats. The court later referred the matter to the Detective Branch for investigation.
In addition, the Special Branch (SB) of police has launched an inquiry into allegations concerning diplomatic privileges and immunity claimed by the PPD executive director.
A source at the SB confirmed to TIMES that police sent Adelegan a letter seeking clarification about his status in Bangladesh, his use of diplomatic privileges and immunity, and PPD’s legal position.
The inquiry also covers compliance with the organisation’s MoU with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as well as activities alleged to be potentially inconsistent with Bangladesh’s economic and social interests.
Adelegan, a Nigerian national, joined PPD as executive director on 9 October 2025. After that, many allegations and controversies emerged centering on him.
Documents reviewed by TIMES indicate that the applicable age limit for the position was 55, while Adelegan was 59 when appointed. His appointment was described as having been made through a “special decision”, although the basis for any exemption remains unclear.
PPD was established in 1994 under the joint auspices of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund to promote South-South cooperation in population and reproductive health.
Bangladesh has hosted its secretariat since signing a 1996 memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. PPD became an independent intergovernmental organisation in 2001, while the Health Ministry serves as the host-country authority.
Ministry seeks removal
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a letter to PPD Board Chair Mohamed Douagi in August, requested an investigation into policy violations, administrative irregularities, and financial mismanagement by the ED.
Confirming this to TIMES, a senior Health Ministry official said that another letter is underway, as per the recommendations sent by the PPD board chair, to take immediate action against him.
“We are going to send another letter to the chair to take immediate action against the executive director as we have credible evidence of misconduct, embezzlement of funds, and non-cooperation with the host country,” the official said, seeking anonymity.
The official also said the Chair had shared his decision recently with Dhaka and other executive committee members and sought immediate suspension of the ED as a precautionary measure and initiation of an independent, impartial, and comprehensive investigation.
Board chair dispute
The crisis deepened after Mohamed Douagi, representing Tunisia, visited the PPD Secretariat in Dhaka from 28 June to 2 July 2026 to examine complaints concerning the organisation’s management, financial practices, staff dismissals, and governance.
After the visit, Douagi’s name was removed from PPD’s Executive Committee leadership listing, and Dr. Douglas Mombeshora of Zimbabwe appeared as Acting Chair. Another section of PPD’s website, however, continued to list Douagi as Chair.
The conflicting listings have raised questions over whether any formal Board meeting, vote, or resolution authorized the change and whether Bangladesh, as the host country and a permanent member of the Executive Committee, was consulted.
Financial and staffing allegations
According to one Health Ministry official, Adelegan increased his annual salary from around $86,000 to $120,000, but did not provide Bangladesh with documents showing approval by the relevant committee.
The official also alleged that PPD’s installation grant was fixed at $9,000, but Adelegan withdrew $27,000 without providing documents.
Another allegation concerns PPD’s education allowance policy, which reportedly limits benefits to children under 21.
The official claimed that Adelegan continued to receive the allowance for his daughter after she had passed that age. The official further alleged that during the 41st Executive Committee meeting, Adelegan changed the policy to raise the age limit to 28 without consulting Bangladesh, the host country.
The same meeting is also alleged to have introduced other policy changes affecting Bangladesh’s role in PPD, including a description of Bangladesh as a ‘non-voting country’ in several places, without the participation or consultation of the host-country Board member or proper approval by the PPD Board.
Questions have also been raised over the ED’s abuse of authority. For example, the proposed extension and promotion of PPD’s current Head of IT and Communications had been directed by the previous Board Chair from South Africa in February 2025 to be placed before the next Board meeting, which is yet to take place, but Adelegan allegedly proceeded with the promotion beforehand, according to documents reviewed by TIMES.
Similar concerns surround the executive assistant to the executive director, who was reportedly promoted or moved without a publicly advertised competitive recruitment process.
In a November 2024 letter, the Health Ministry had accused the same person of violating PPD’s Personnel Manual, described her conduct as “gross misconduct,” and urged the Secretariat to take disciplinary measures and report progress to the host country. Documents indicate she was later promoted under Adelegan.
The Health Ministry official further alleged that Adelegan dismissed several senior officials and appointed foreign nationals to positions designated as national posts, including head of finance and head of programme, which, according to the official, should be held by Bangladeshis under the organisation’s rules.
TIMES contacted Adelegan by email and WhatsApp and also called him seeking his response to the allegations on Wednesday and Thursday. He had not responded until the filing of this report.
