Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Comission  (ACC) has filed two cases against Saima Wazed, director of WHO’s South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), for fraud, forgery and misuse of power in connection with her campaign to become the WHO’s top official in the South East Asia region.

The charges against Wazed, who took office a Regional Director in January 2024 following her election by SEARO member states, are the culmination of an ACC investigation that began in January 2025, as reported by Health Policy Watch.

Her  2023 election campaign was shadowed by charges that her influential mother, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, had used her influence to gain her daughter’s election to the post – only a few months before widespread protests prompted Hasina’s resignation and flight from the country in 2024.

According to the formal charges that now have been filed against Wazed, she is alleged to have provided false information about her academic record, during her campaign for RD, violating Section 468 of the Bangladesh Penal Code (forgery for the purpose of cheating); and Section 471 (forging a document).  The ACC alleges she misrepresented her qualifications—claiming an honorary role at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, which the university disputes—to secure her WHO position. The charges were detailed to media Thursday by ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam,

Wazed is also accused of having misused her power and influence to collect about $2.8 million from various banks for the Shuchona Foundation, which she formerly headed.  The ACC case did not provide complete details on how the money was then used. Those charges include: allegations of fraud and misuse of power under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property); , as well as Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1947.

Asked to comment on whether the Bengali government investigation of Wazed would trigger any WHO investigation of the RD and the alleged campaign misdeeds, WHO did not respond.

Charges follow other cases against high level WHO officials

The legal action against Wazed is the latest in a series of scandals that have implicated senior leadership in WHO – at a time when it is also under unprecedented financial pressure, due to the United States’ January 2025 announcement that it intends to withdraw from the global health organization.

In March 2023,  member states in WHO’s Western Pacific Region voted to oust WPRO Regional Director  Takeshi Kasai, following allegations of abusive behaviour and financial mismanagement. His exit after an internal probe reflected a serious crisis of governance in one of the six regional offices upon which the global health agency depends to fulfil critical missions in countries.

During the period of the investigation and ouster, Dr. Temo Waqanivalu, a senior WHO official from Fiji, emerged as a potential candidate to replace Kasai as RD of the WPRO office.

However, Waqanivalu’s candidacy unravelled when he was accused of harassing Dr. Rosie James, a young UK health professional, at the October 2022 World Health Summit in Berlin. The investigation concluded with Waqanivalu’s dismissal from WHO in April 2023 –  as the Organization tried to step up its responses to sexual harassment and abuse allegations by staffers as well as recipients of WHO aid against powerful WHO officials.

Role of WHO Regional office leadership – under scrutiny

The role and position of WHO’s Regional Office leadership could become all the more important as the agency comes under under increased pressure  to improve efficiency, transparency and overall performance in the wake of the announced United States withdrawal  – the agency’s largest financial backer.

Reinforcing the leadership and prowess of the agency’s six regional and 152 country offices was core to the “transformation” initiative launched by WHO Director Genera Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in July 2017, just after he took office.

Now facing a financial crisis, shifting more staff, as well as some core areas of expertise, to WHO regional centers and country offices could also serve as an inportant cost-saving measure since generous “post adjustments” based on location, are usually much lower for international staff in regions than in Geneva’s headquarters.

At the same time, to fill any enhanced role and mission, WHO’s regional offices need leadership acting professionally and above any single set of vested interests.

In the case of the South East Asia Regional Office, the charges filed against the RD, represent yet another setback in that “Transformation” journey.

WHO’s budget under the knife

This year, WHO already faces a $175 million budget shortfall in 2025 as hoped-for US and other donor funds have so far failed to materialize, and an even more severe crisis in 2026 when the US withdrawal formally takes effect, and its mandatory dues of about $130 million annually cease altogether.

That’s despite reducing its 2026-2027  bi-annual budget to $4.9 billion – nearly $2 billion less than the $6.83 billion budget for the organization in 2024-25.

In a press conference on Monday, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other senior WHO officials described the grim impacts on WHO’s global health operations faced as a result of the loss of US contributions – representing about 15% of WHO’s annual budget. Programmes ranging from TB and malaria control to measles surveillance and humanitarian response face severe cutbacks, the officials warned.

At the same time, WHO still has not issued any response to the 10 March Health Policy Watch report detailing the bloated ranks and costs of its most senior management – with senior director positions having nearly doubled since 2017 – and costs for just 215 of WHO’s most senior staff approaching $100 million.

EXCLUSIVE: Number of WHO Senior Directors Nearly Doubled since 2017, Costs Approach $100 million

Image Credits: X/Saima Wazed, WHO.