Fake Burnley doctor who forged medical degree ordered to pay £400,000 to NHS or face more jail time
A bogus doctor from Burnley who forged her medical qualifications has been ordered to repay more than £400,000 to the NHS or serve additional time behind bars.
In 2023, Zholia Alemi, 62, was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of 13 counts of fraud, two counts of forgery, three counts of deception, and two counts of using false documents to support fabricated medical credentials.
She was sentenced to seven years in prison.
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Alemi worked as an NHS psychiatrist across hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, earning more than £1 million in income and benefits.
However, she never possessed the medical qualifications required for the roles she held.
An investigation by Cumbria Police uncovered that Alemi had forged documents claiming to show a medical degree from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, which she used to gain registration with the General Medical Council (GMC).
In reality, she had dropped out after just one year of study.
Her fraudulent registration was obtained under a now-defunct section of the Medical Act, which was last used in 2003.
At the time, the legislation allowed graduates from certain Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, to register to practise in the UK based on overseas qualifications — without needing to sit the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) exam, typically required of foreign-trained doctors.
Through this loophole, Alemi secured positions in multiple UK hospitals without proper scrutiny.
The court has now ordered her to repay £406,624 to the NHS or serve an additional two and a half years in prison.
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Adrian Foster of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “We have robustly pursued the proceeds of crime with the NHS Counter Fraud Authority and have identified all the assets that she has available to pay her order.
“Alemi had little regard for patient welfare. She used forged New Zealand medical qualifications to obtain employment as an NHS psychiatrist for 20 years. In doing so, she must have treated hundreds of patients when she was unqualified to do so, potentially putting those patients at risk.”
“Her fraudulent actions also enabled her to dishonestly earn income and benefits more than £1m, to which she was not entitled. She cheated the public purse and £406,624 will be paid in compensation to the NHS.”