Jail term cut for doctor who forged documents

A doctor who forged a medical report handed in as evidence in a drug case has received a reduced jail term.

A 26-year-old Egyptian man, who was arrested for possessing and consuming Lyrica, a controlled anti-epileptic drug also used to relieve chronic pain, had asked the Indian doctor, 42, to prescribe him the drug based on a fake diagnosis.

The Egyptian, who claimed he had been prescribed the drug by the doctor because he suffered from severe back pain, was asked by prosecutors to provide a medical report and the prescription.

On April 12 last year, the Egyptian man submitted the report and prescription to prosecutors, who later discovered that the report had been forged by the doctor.

The prescription had also been issued based on the forged report.

The Egyptian and a compatriot, 32, were convicted of aiding and abetting the doctor. All three were convicted of providing prosecutors with misleading information about an ongoing criminal case.

They were sentenced to six months in jail, to be followed by deportation, by the Dubai Criminal Court.

The Appeal Court reduced their sentence to three months in jail and ordered the cancellation of the deportation order.