Saima Wazed Putul, the controversial regional director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) South-East Asia regional office, was sent on indefinite leave from Friday (July 11, 2025), four months after Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two cases against her on charges of fraud, forgery and abuse of power.

This was reported by the international health organization Health Policy Watch in a report.

It said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staff in a brief internal email that Putul would be going on leave from Friday and would be replaced by WHO Assistant Director-General Dr. Katharina Boehm as the 'Officer in Charge'. Boehm will join the New Delhi office on Tuesday, July 15, it said.

The allegations stemmed from the appointment of Putul, the daughter of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country after protests broke out last August, and her regional director.

Although Putul took office in January 2024, there were allegations from the beginning about his election process that his influential mother, Sheikh Hasina, exerted influence in his favor.

According to a previous report by Health Policy Watch, the ACC began an investigation in January based on this complaint.

According to the ACC's formal charge sheet, Putul gave false information about his academic record while campaigning for the position of regional director, which is a violation of sections 468 (forgery with intent to cheat) and 471 (use of forged document) of the Bangladesh Penal Code.