A fraudster who practised for years as a psychiatrist despite never qualifying as a doctor has been jailed today for seven years.
Zholia Alemi, 60, had already served a sentence following previous work by detectives in Cumbria on other offences she committed.
She was brought before Manchester Crown Court for trial for another series of crimes.
Following this latest trial, she was found guilty of 13 counts of fraud, three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, two counts of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument.
The judge in the case sentenced her to seven years imprisonment.
Alemi, formerly of Scaw Road, High Harrington, Workington, obtained registration as a doctor after going to the UK’s General Medical Council in 1995 with numerous forged documents.
These included a degree certificate, a letter of verification and letters of reference from a hospital in Pakistan.
She gained registration and practiced in Northern Ireland and Manchester before reaching consultant status in 2003 after passing assessments with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Alemi was employed as a section 12 practitioner in 2012, a role which held authority to section patients.
Alemi practiced throughout the United Kingdom for several years before moving to Cumbria where she came to the attention of detectives in the west of the county following concerns raised by Cumbria Adult Social Care safeguarding leads.
Whilst in Cumbria, Alemi worked for a range of trusts including Memory Matters
After appearing in court in 2018 and subsequently being convicted for attempting to defraud a wealthy elderly client of hers out of £1.3 million, an investigative journalist took an interest in the case.
He made his own enquiries with the University of Auckland, where Alemi was said to have obtained her qualifications. It was then established Alemi had never actually qualified as a doctor.
A significant international investigation was launched led by a small team of detectives from West Cumbria, supported by partners in the NHS Counter Fraud Authority.
Police searched properties in England and Northern Ireland and seized a forged certificate from the university.
Enquiries also found a hospital in Pakistan used as a reference by Alemi had never existed. Several enquires and investigations in New Zealand and the UK ensued.
Investigations continued and Alemi was again placed before the court, where she today received her sentence.
Detective Superintendent Matt Scott was the senior investigating officer in the case.
He said: “This was a highly unusual case which involved a skilled fraud carried out and maintained over a number of years. I’ve never seen or heard of a case like this before and I don’t anticipate I will work on a case like this again.
“Alemi is a manipulative criminal who fraudulently obtained a critical health care role which involved important responsibilities about people’s lives – despite never having obtained the most fundamental qualification to start her career.
“It is a case completely out on its own – but the key to it was the cooperation of the various health partners in the NHS, CPS, GMC and more for making it a quick and through investigation.
“It has been a challenging but rewarding case to lead and I think it shows that Cumbria Constabulary – while it’s a small force in terms of population – punches above its weight and can lead an investigation of global status.”
