The World Health Organisation (WHO) has put Saima Wazed, daughter of ex-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia (SEARO), on indefinite leave after corruption charges were levelled by Bangladesh’s interim government.
In a report by Health Policy Watch, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus notified employees in an internal email that Saima would take a leave of absence beginning this Friday, July 11. WHO Assistant Director-General Catharina Boehme will assume responsibility as the Officer in Charge in her absence, with arrangements to report at the SEARO office in New Delhi on July 15.
Corruption Allegations Trigger High-Level Suspension
The move came after the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission brought cases against Saima Wazed for fraud, forgery, and abuse of authority. The charges, deemed serious by the caretaker government, evoked prompt action on the part of WHO leadership.
“We consider it a positive first step towards accountability,” said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the Chief Adviser of the caretaker administration.
“We strongly believe that there has to be a lasting solution and that is to take Saima out of her job, strip her of all the associated privileges, and restore dignity to this high office and the integrity of the UN system as a whole.”
Hasina Faces Crimes Against Humanity Charges
To the political instability, Sheikh Hasina herself was charged last week by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh with crimes against humanity. The charges were related to her regime’s response to the July-August 2023 student movement when, according to the allegations, state actors committed mass killings, torture, and targeted oppression.
Other accused who stand trial with Hasina are her previous Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun. Prosecutors allege that the three employed state machinery to suppress a peaceful reformist movement violently.
The tribunal, which is holding the trial in absentia, has fixed August 3 as the trial’s formal beginning date. Hasina, who is presently outside Bangladesh, has rejected all charges and labelled them as politically motivated.
Global and Political Implications
Saima Wazed’s resignation from WHO puts more pressure on the Hasina family as global and local observation becomes increasingly deepening. The opposition holds the opinion that the WHO and the UN system need to maintain transparency and neutrality in dealing with such a high-level appointment. Saima’s role in mental health and awareness concerning autism had brought her much praise, but current events have eclipsed her achievements.
As the trial and investigations progress, the international community is keenly observing how these cases are going to shape Bangladesh’s political destiny and its relationship with global institutions.
