Saima Wazed Putul, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for South-East Asia and daughter of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned with immediate effect following fraud probes by the United Nations agency and Bangladeshi authorities.
In a resignation letter sent late on Wednesday to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Putul stated she was stepping down because her financial position had become untenable after nearly a year on unpaid administrative leave, reports international media.
Expressing a complete loss of confidence in Tedros’s leadership, she accused the WHO head of preventing her from performing her official duties, maintaining that she had sincerely served the region following her election.
Putul, who assumed her five-year term as regional director in early 2024, was placed on unpaid administrative leave late last year after initially being sent on leave in July 2025.
Her suspension came after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission – operating under the interim government that succeeded Hasina – filed charges against her in March 2025 alleging fraud and forgery.
Her case highlights the wider impact of Hasina’s removal following a deadly uprising in mid-2024, which has seen numerous political allies face corruption charges or enter self-imposed exile alongside the former prime minister.
According to a letter dated 3 July 2026 sent by her lawyers to the WHO, the agency accused Putul of misrepresenting her academic credentials and committing financial fraud regarding travel to China.
In her resignation letter, Putul noted that the UN body had also alleged she illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh.
Putul has strongly denied all allegations. Her legal team explained that the travel claim stemmed from an administrative error by an assistant handling routine reimbursements worth $901.
Regarding her credentials, Putul clarified that she holds an honourary doctorate awarded for her work on autism in Bangladesh, a qualification she stated was clearly communicated to Tedros.
She further defended the land acquisition, stating it occurred prior to joining the WHO and was legally permitted under Bangladeshi legislation governing the family of Bangladesh’s independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—her grandfather and Hasina’s father.
While Putul declined further comment, the WHO did not immediately respond to requests for comment, having previously cited confidentiality regarding her administrative leave.
Sources within the UN agency indicated that plans were already underway for her formal removal.
The WHO is scheduled to announce nominations for her successor on 12 October, vet candidates in December, and conduct fresh elections on 24 January.
Regional directors, who are elected every five years by member nations including Bangladesh and India, serve as top health policy officials responsible for emergency responses and tailoring global health policies to local contexts.
