Putul resigns as WHO regional head amid fraud allegations

Saima Wazed Putul has resigned as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Southeast Asia head after being accused of fraud, marking the latest family fallout from the overthrow of her mother, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in the July mass uprising, according to a Reuters report.
Putul, who took office as the Southeast Asia regional director in early 2024 for a five-year term, submitted her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.
She was initially placed on unpaid administrative leave in July last year after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched an investigation into allegations of fraud against her.
The WHO also accused Putul of "committing financial fraud in relation to her travel to China" and of misrepresenting her academic credentials, Reuters reported, citing her resignation letter. The UN agency also alleged that she had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh, according to the Reuters report.
Putul, however, denied the allegations, saying she had acquired the land before joining the WHO and was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law covering the families of the country's independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina's father.
Denying the travel fraud allegation, a separate letter from her lawyers to the WHO on 3 July stated that it was an administrative oversight by an assistant processing routine reimbursement requests and involved $901.
On the credentials accusation, she said she holds an honorary doctorate for her work on autism in Bangladesh and had been clear with Tedros about this qualification.
After the overthrow of the Awami League regime, many of Hasina's allies face criminal charges, including over alleged corruption in Bangladesh, or live in self-imposed exile like Hasina.
Sheikh Hasina’s niece Tulip Siddiq resigned as a UK Treasury minister on 14 January 2025 after corruption charges were brought against her in Bangladesh for allegedly acquiring properties illegally.
“I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done. Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO," Putul wrote in the resignation letter.
"Moreover, after nearly one year without any remuneration following your decision to place me on unpaid leave, my financial situation has become untenable. In these circumstances, I am choosing to step aside," she wrote.
The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, it said Putul was on leave but declined to comment further about her case to maintain confidentiality.
WHO due to hold 'fresh elections in January
Two sources said earlier that the UN agency was planning to formally remove Putul. One of them said the WHO would announce nominations for the role on October 12, vet applications in December and hold elections on 24 January.
The sources declined to be named given the sensitivity of the matter.
Regional directors are among the world's most influential health policy officials, with their duties including responding to outbreaks and emergencies and adapting WHO policies to local conditions. They are elected every five years by member states, which include Bangladesh and India in the Southeast Asia region.