Summary
A woman named Zholia Alemi worked as a psychiatrist in the UK's NHS using a forged medical degree for over 20 years. She has been ordered by a judge to repay over £400,000 to the NHS or face additional jail time.
Key Facts
- Zholia Alemi used a fake degree from the University of Auckland to get a job as a doctor in the UK.
- She was born in Iran and moved to Auckland in the early 1990s, where she failed a medical degree.
- Alemi was convicted of forgery and other crimes by a jury and sentenced to seven years in prison in 2023.
- A judge has now ordered her to repay £406,624 to the NHS.
- The General Medical Council registered Alemi as a doctor based on her fake documents.
- Alemi earned more than £1.3 million working for the NHS with the false qualifications.
- In 2018, Alemi was also jailed for five years for a separate fraud related to forging a will.
- The General Medical Council has since apologized for its inadequate checks in the 1990s.
