Saima Wazed Putul, the regional director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office, has been placed on leave for an indefinite period from Friday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in an internal email that in Saima Wazed's absence, the organization's Assistant Director-General Catharina Boehme will serve as acting director.
Boehme will join the New Delhi office on July 15.
Notably, Saima Wazed, the daughter of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, left Bangladesh in August last year. She took over as WHO's Regional Director in January 2024. However, her appointment process has been controversial and criticised from the very beginning. There are allegations that her mother's political influence was used to secure this position.
Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two cases against Saima Wazed last March on charges of corruption, fraud and abuse of power.
The ACC charge sheet states that Saima provided false information about her educational qualifications and mentioned an honorary position at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (now Bangladesh Medical University), which the university authorities have denied.
The charges are a violation of sections 468 (forgery with intent to defraud) and 471 (presentation of false documents) of the Bangladesh Penal Code.
It is further alleged that Saima Wazed collected about $2.8 million from various banks for the Shuchona Foundation she leads. There is no certain explanation for how this money was spent. In this regard, she has been charged with fraud and abuse of power, which fall under section 420 of the Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
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