Cheryl’s dentist stole £1m from patients to buy luxury ski chalet
A HArLEY Street dentist who treated X Factor judge Cheryl Cole used more than £1million of patients’ money to help pay for an £8million ski lodge in the French Alps.
Dr Tapesh Anand, 43, persuaded dozens of wealthy patients to pay thousands of pounds upfront for his ground-breaking treatment.
But instead of using the money to pay his suppliers and other company expenses, he secretly pocketed it and used it to buy a sumptuous chalet in the Combloux ski resort.
The six-bedroom lodge has a hot tub, an ornamental HarleyDavidson in the entrance hall and costs up to £40,000 a week to rent.
As Dr Anand’s debts racked up, he repeatedly stalled on carrying out treatment on his patients, claiming he was very busy.
Between 2009 and 2013 he diverted more than £1million of patients’ money to help pay for and refurbish the chalet which has stunning views of Mont Blanc.
In May 2013 his Q Clinic in London’s Harley Street went into administration – without treating some of the patients who had paid in advance. They are unlikely to get their money back. An investigation by the Insolvency Service found that Dr Anand owed £120,000 in taxes, £120,000 to patients for unpaid treatment and £180,000 to suppliers.
The dentist also left behind £837,000 in unsecured debts, which banks and loan companies have been unable to recoup. Investigators could not recover the money by seizing the chalet because it was bought privately by the dentist and not through his firm’s books.
In the same year Dr Anand simply set up another firm called Infinity Health, offering the same services to patients. The new company was served with a winding up order in 2015 after the General Dental Council was deluged with complaints from patients.
The GDC launched an investigation and he was struck off the dentists’ register by a disciplinary hearing later that year. The ruling means that he is unable to work as a dentist in the UK for five years.
In its damning verdict, the GDC told Dr Anand: ‘Your conduct demonstrated a complete disregard for the rights and interests of patients.
‘Your misconduct very seriously undermined public confidence in the dental profession. Your clinical failings and deficient professional performance have not been remedied, and as such there remains a risk of repetition of the behaviour in the future.’
As a pioneer in the field of invisible braces, the dentist attracted a long client list – including singer Cheryl Cole.
Dr Anand, who graduated from Guy’s Hospital medical school in 1999, has since fled the UK and is presently working as a private dentist in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, his chalet continues to rake in tens of thousands of pounds a week for him.
It boasts a 100ft wrap-around terrace with views of the Alps, a state - of- the- art designer kitchen and floor to ceiling windows. Guests can hire their own personal chef to serve them on the terrace.
Last week Dr Anand was disqualified as a company director for seven years after an investigation by the Insolvency Service.
Martin Gitner, deputy head of investigations, said: ‘It is clear that Dr Anand breached his duties as a director by using company funds to finance the refurbishment of a personally owned property, which means taxpayers and other creditors, lose out considerably.
‘This disqualification should serve as a warning that if directors behave in this way their conduct will be investigated fully by the Insolvency Service and they will be removed from the business environment.’
‘Deluged with complaints’