Businessman in call for tax dodger GP’s release

WELL-known Dublin businessman Michael Wright has called for the release of a GP jailed for 16 months for failing to pay almost €100,000 in income tax.

Last week, Bassam Naser, 51, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two charges of filing incorrect returns with his income tax affairs for the years 2006 and 2007.

Since then many of the doctor’s patients have signed a petition calling for the overturning of a court decision to jail the GP, of Howth Road, Sutton, in Dublin, for 16 months.

Yesterday, well-known business man Mr Wright, of seafood business Wrights of Howth, told RTÉ radio’s Liveline that Dr Naser was not doing ‘well’ in Mountjoy Prison.

‘This is a very special man,’ Mr Wright said of the popular family doctor.

‘I am a patient of Dr Sam’s,’ he said. ‘He looks after my family and my father who passed away a number of years ago.’

Mr Wright said that so many of Dr Naser’s patients had signed the petition for his release because the GP had always gone above and beyond his care of duty for patients.

And he revealed that Dr Naser is finding his current circumstances very difficult. ‘He’s not managing very well [in Mountjoy],’ Mr Wright said. ‘He’s a very soft-natured man and he’s a doctor. He’s a man that cares for other people. I believe he’s in the bakery in Mountjoy which makes me upset.

‘What are we doing in this country?’ said Mr Wright.

Last week the court heard Mr Naser had a hidden bank account into which he lodged 1,686 cheques received from patients attending his clinic. He was due to pay almost €100,000 in income tax and now owes a further €200,000 in penalties. He had a €100,000 cheque in court to pay the overdue tax.

Mr Wright said it was ‘madness’ that such a ‘great doctor’ was behind bars in Mountjoy.