The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed two cases against Saima Wazed Putul, the regional director for South-East Asia of the World Health Organization (WHO), daughter of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of abuse of power, cheating, forgery and embezzlement.
ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhter Hossain told journalists that the ACC Deputy Director Tahsin Munabil Haque filed two cases at the ACC's Integrated District Office Dhaka-1 today.
In one case, Saima Wazed Putul has been accused of abusing power, doing fraudulence, and forgery to secure the position of Regional Director of the World Health Organization's South-East Asia Regional Office.
The second case alleged that Saima Wazed Putul and Nazrul Islam Mazumder colluded to misuse their power and exert undue influence over member banks of the Bangladesh Association of Banks, compelling them to contribute Tk 33.05 crore from their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to Shuchona Foundation, where Putul herself was the chairperson.
According to the case statement, Putul is accused of fabricating credentials in her application for the WHO Regional Director post in 2023.
The ACC alleged that Putul falsely claimed to be engaged in teaching and reviewing educational manuals at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University–BSMMU (now Bangladesh Medical University) despite having no such involvement.
In her application, Saima Wazed reportedly listed her position at BSMMU saying she was an “Honorary Specialist/Expert at BSMMU (2022-Present), providing technical expertise on autism spectrum disorder and mental health, and reviewing manuals for the care and management of developmental disorders” in her CV.
However, upon investigation, the BSMMU authorities confirmed that she never held such a position or participated in any academic or research activities related to manual development.
The ACC has charged her under Sections 420, 468, and 471 of the Penal Code, along with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1947, for allegedly misrepresenting her qualifications to secure the WHO role.
The case has been filed under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 109 of the Penal Code.
The case statement revealed that an enforcement operation was conducted by the ACC headquarters in January last against Shuchona Foundation. But no physical office of Shuchona Foundation was found.
The investigation found that Putul and Nazrul repeatedly pressured banks to contribute funds to the foundation. In May 2017, 17 banks were forced to donate Tk 21 crore from their CSR funds.
A total of 20 banks ultimately contributed Tk 33.05 crore.
Since the organisation had no physical existence, the ACC suspects that the money was embezzled through forged records, which will be thoroughly examined during the investigation.
MSH
