Trio charged with faking sick notes for UAE workers

The men allegedly charged Dh200 from each person.

Three men including a doctor and the director of a private medical care in Abu Dhabi went on trial accused of issuing false sick notes to scores of people after each paying Dh200.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance heard that the Indian men were writing sick leave certificates to different people who wanted a doctor's note to take a couple of days off work despite them not being ill.
The men allegedly charged Dh200 from each person especially Asian workers who wanted a sick leave note.
Official court documents stated that Abu Dhabi Police's Anti-Corruption Department was notified about a doctor working at a medical center in Musaffah area, who was issuing out sick notes to various people after they paid him cash.
The total amount of cash collected from the illegal business was not mentioned in court.
After investigating the case, a police undercover agent contacted the doctor and tricked him into believing that he wanted a doctor's note so he could take some days off duty.
The officer told the doctor that he needed the medical permission to make his employer believe that he was sick.
Prosecutors said the doctor agreed to charge him Dh200 to issue the sick note for him.
Police officers who were monitoring the Indian doctor arrested him when he was handing over the stamped sick note to the undercover policeman after he paid him the cash.
Prosecutors charged the doctor along with the director of the clinic and another man hospital worker who was helping the doctor with falsifying official medical documents.
The doctor and the director of the clinic denied the charges when they appeared in court.
The doctor told court that his work was only based on diagnosis and treatment of patients and that he had never collected money from anyone for issuing them false sick notes.
The director of the medical care said he was based in the clinic's main branch located in Abu Dhabi city and that he was in anyway aware or involved in what his colleague might have been doing at the Musaffah brach.
The third defendant wasn't present in court.
The trial was adjourned until August 22 so the men's lawyer can prepare their defence.
- ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi