Sheikh Hasina’s daughter questions WHO action against her, calls for investigation

WHO placed Wazed on indefinite leave on July 11, 2025, pending an inquiry, four months after Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two cases against her on charges of corruption, fraud and abuse of power. An acting regional director was named, whose term has since ended.

Wazed is learnt to have alleged that the action was taken at the behest of the then interim government in Bangladesh led by Mohammad Yunus, overlooking due process. Alleging that WHO failed to explain its action, she has asked if any formal inquiry is being conducted while she remains on leave for over a year now. Besides misconduct, she has also accused WHO of bias and harassment, The Indian Express has learnt.

According to sources, while WHO acknowledged some of her emails, it is yet to provide clarity on any ongoing review of the complaints against her.

Sources said the decision to place Wazed on leave was communicated to WHO staff in an internal email from the Director General. According to sources, the email suggested that the Bangladesh government’s objections, questions over the legitimacy of her election, and the ACC cases were all factors behind the decision.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Wazed refused to comment on the issue.

Responding to email queries from The Indian Express, WHO confirmed that Wazed “remains on leave”. “There are established channels for staff members who wish to raise complaints of the nature of those referred to in the questions… However, we do not comment on specific cases, where we have a duty to maintain confidentiality,” it said in an email.

Sources said Wazed has raised several “concerns”, including WHO’s alleged direct communication and dealings with Bangladesh’s ACC and other officials of the then interim government, alleging a breach of due process and protocol for diplomatic communication.

She is also learnt to have alleged misrepresentation of facts to member states — including India, who voted for her nomination to the post of Regional Director, SEARO, headquartered in New Delhi — thereby causing damage to her reputation.

While India is learnt to have raised the matter with WHO through appropriate channels, it has not issued any official comment on the matter.

“WHO’s decision to place Wazed on leave immediately on receipt of a political request is significantly different to how the organisation responded when Tedros himself faced similar attacks from Ethiopia,” said a source.

The source said this was particularly questionable given that Wazed was tried in absentia in Dhaka and declared a fugitive. “WHO has yet to provide a full public explanation of how information received from external political actors was assessed, verified, and weighed before action was taken against an elected regional director,” said the source. Wazed has alleged that she continues to be targeted, at the behest of the Bangladesh government, for being Hasina’s daughter, overlooking her own credentials and work in healthcare. According to sources, she was initially sent on leave with pay, but was placed “on administrative leave without pay” after some months, as she raised the matter.

Wazed assumed office on February 1, 2024, for a five-year term, becoming the first person from Bangladesh and the second woman to hold the position. She received eight of the total 10 votes cast, including India’s.

“That mandate was altered by a hasty executive decision without the participation of the very member states that selected Wazed,” said another source, adding that regional directors are accountable to the member states that elect them.

According to sources, Wazed may have been informed only a day or two before the announcement, raising further concerns about the process followed. Until WHO releases the relevant documentation and explains the authority under which the action was taken, key questions will remain unanswered, said a source close to Wazed who did not want to be identified.

Meanwhile, the position of regional director has not been declared vacant. While Wazed remains the elected regional director, sources alleged that she faces “sustained pressure” to step aside voluntarily.