GMC rapped on fake medic

A JUDGE yesterday said an ‘abject failure of scrutiny’ by medical chiefs allowed a conwoman to practise as a doctor for 22 years.

Zholia Alemi, 60, of Burnley, has been jailed for seven years for forging a degree and verification letter to gain registration – cheating the NHS out of £1.3million in wages.

At Manchester Crown Court Judge Hilary Manley called for a ‘thorough inquiry’ into the handling of the case by the General Medical Council.

When the GMC added Alemi to the UK register in 1995, it took at face value her degree and letter of verification. In fact she never completed her degree.

The GMC said: ‘We completely accept checks... on this case were wholly inadequate.’