WHO Regional Director Putul placed on indefinite leave

Saima Wazed, regional director of the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), has been placed on indefinite leave effective from Friday – four months after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Bangladesh filed two cases against her on charges of fraud, forgery and misuse of power, according to the Health Policy Watch.

In an internal email to staff, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that Assistant Director-General Dr Catharina Boehme will take over as Officer-in-Charge of SEARO.

According to the email, cited by “Health Policy Watch”, Boehme is expected to arrive at the regional office in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the interim government on Saturday welcomed the WHO’s reported decision to place Saima Wazed on an indefinite leave.

“We view this as an important first step towards accountability,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.

The people of Bangladesh and the global public are happy to see the emergence of transparency, honesty, and justice, he noted.

In a post from his verified Facebook account, Shafiqul said they firmly believe that a permanent resolution is necessary, one that removes Putul from her position, revokes all associated privileges and restores integrity to this prestigious role and the credibility of the UN system as a whole.

Putul, daughter of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina – who fled the country in August 2024 following mass protests – was appointed Regional Director in January 2024. Her appointment, however, sparked widespread controversy, with allegations that her mother had exerted political pressure to secure the WHO role, as previously reported by Health Policy Watch.

In March, ACC filed two formal cases against Putul, accusing her of fraud, forgery, and abuse of power.

The charges allege that she submitted falsified academic credentials during her WHO campaign – an act that would breach Sections 468 and 471 of the Bangladesh Penal Code, which relate to forgery and the use of forged documents.

The ACC has also accused Putul of falsely claiming an honorary position at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in order to strengthen her professional profile – an affiliation later denied by the university.

Details of the allegations were provided by ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam and reported by both Health Policy Watch and local media.

In addition to the forgery accusations, Putul is also alleged to have exploited her political influence to secure approximately $2.8 million from various banks for the Shuchona Foundation, which she previously led.

According to the ACC, this constitutes fraud and abuse of power under Section 420 of the Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1947.

Since the legal proceedings began, Putul has reportedly avoided travel within the SEARO region due to the risk of arrest upon entering Bangladesh.