The Post

Doctor’s appeal dismissed

- Wellington district courts reporter

A doctor who faked a document to get registrati­on and a job in New Zealand has had his appeal against his conviction dismissed.

Teimur Youssefi had told the Court of Appeal last week he had applied for 54 positions but a conviction for forgery made it impossible to get a job.

Youssefi was discipline­d in Malta where he had been working for an ethical breach after a complaint by a patient in 2013. But he did not disclose that to authoritie­s when he applied for registrati­on here.

He altered a document to show that he had not been discipline­d in Malta where he had worked.

It was discovered only after he had been working at the Whanganui DHB as a junior doctor, and he was charged with forgery and using a document to gain an advantage.

After an appeal to the High Court, the conviction for the document charge was quashed but remained for forgery. He was also deregister­ed by the Medical Council. He has since reapplied and been granted registrati­on.

In the Court of Appeal, Youssefi asked for the conviction to be overturned because of the impact on his career and employment and the restrictio­n on overseas travel for ongoing training. He now wishes to be a cardiologi­st and not being able to travel would mean he would be unable to attend courses and conference­s overseas.

The Court said removing the conviction would not mean he did not have to disclose the offending as applicatio­ns for visitor permits can ask if he had ever been arrested or convicted of an offence.

The Court said the Medical Council already knew about the case and disclosure of his offending for future employers was a matter of record.

It said a conviction was not out of proportion with the gravity of the offending, there had been no miscarriag­e of justice and dismissed the appeal.

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