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The World Well being Group has introduced that the chief of its south-east Asia regional company is “on depart” following accusations of fraud, and it has taken the bizarre step of appointing a senior official from its Geneva headquarters as interim head.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, stated in an electronic mail to workers final week, seen by the Monetary Occasions, that he had knowledgeable regional member states of the interval of depart for Saima Wazed, who leads the worldwide well being physique’s New Delhi-based South East Asia Regional Workplace (SEARO).
Wazed — the daughter of Sheikh Hasina, the authoritarian former chief of Bangladesh who was toppled final August by a student-led rebellion — was charged in March with fraud, forgery and abuse of energy by the nation’s Anti-Corruption Fee, and faces arrest if she returns from her submit in India.
The WHO stated in a press release that Wazed was “presently on depart” and that Catharina Boehme, an assistant director-general within the company’s Geneva headquarters, was “throughout this era . . . serving as officer-in-charge”.
Boehme’s appointment follows a letter final month by the ACC requesting the WHO assist “facilitate” Wazed’s look earlier than the Bangladeshi courts and “provoke . . . no matter is demanded . . . for an absconder in a severe felony offence”.
Among the many allegations towards her is that she illegally obtained a authorities residential plot.
The WHO has solely restricted affect over its constituent regional organisations comparable to SEARO, that are managed immediately by member nations. Nevertheless, one worldwide well being official stated the central company may intervene in instances of alleged corruption. Member states can even demand an election to exchange Wazed.
Wazed was elected regional director of SEARO in 2023 in a contest marked by allegations of nepotism.
Kul Chandra Gautam, a former assistant UN secretary-general, referred to as Wazed’s résumé “very skinny” on the time, including: “If she weren’t the daughter of the PM, I don’t assume she can be a severe candidate.”
Wazed had stated such nepotism allegations had been “offensive” and he or she had the required abilities for the job.
SEARO, with an annual finances of greater than $500mn, performs an necessary position in well being coverage and programmes throughout 11 nations protecting 2bn individuals within the area.
Nevertheless, since Wazed’s election, it has been hit by Indonesia’s resolution in Might to withdraw from SEARO and be part of the WHO’s Western Pacific Area.
Bangladesh’s interim authorities, which took energy after Sheikh Hasina was ousted and is led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, welcomed experiences Wazed was on depart.
“We view this as an necessary first step in the direction of accountability,” the federal government instructed the FT. “We firmly imagine {that a} everlasting decision is critical, one which removes Ms Wazed from her place, revokes all related privileges and restores integrity to this prestigious position and the credibility of the UN system as an entire.”
Wazed is accused of leveraging her place and political ties to illicitly funnel roughly Tk330mn ($2.7mn) by the Shuchona Basis, a Bangladesh-based non-profit she chairs.
In response to ACC officers, a number of banks had been allegedly pressured into routing funds to the muse, elevating considerations about potential conflicts of curiosity, abuse of energy and lack of transparency.
Authorities have seized a few of Wazed’s belongings and are looking for her arrest by an Interpol purple discover. A courtroom in Dhaka, the capital, ordered the confiscation of her house within the upscale Gulshan neighbourhood, citing the necessity to stop any asset transfers throughout authorized proceedings.
Wazed, who’s a psychologist and an advocate for autism consciousness, has not publicly responded to the allegations. She didn’t reply to repeated requests from the FT for remark.
Her brother, Sajeeb Wazed, has dismissed the broader corruption investigations concentrating on the household as politically motivated, describing them as a part of a “smear marketing campaign” by Yunus’s administration.
Tulip Siddiq, Sheikh Hasina’s niece in addition to a Labour MP and an in depth ally of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, was compelled to face down because the UK’s anti-corruption minister after allegations that she had benefited from properties linked to the Awami League, the previous ruling social gathering.
Bangladesh later issued an arrest warrant for her. Siddiq’s legal professionals stated there was “no foundation in any respect for any costs to be made towards her, and there’s completely no reality in any allegation that she obtained a plot of land in Dhaka by unlawful means”.
Kent Buse, a professor at Monash College Malaysia, referred to as for an overhaul of the election course of for WHO regional workplaces, saying such measures “may need raised considerations about her candidacy if applied”. Potential reforms included a extra rigorous vetting course of, higher transparency in marketing campaign financing and integrity to be a guideline.