Doctor, policewoman in dock over forged sick leave

Sunday, Nov 17, 2013

Dubai: A woman doctor and a policewoman have been jointly accused of forging pre-dated medical leave so the policewoman could travel abroad.

The 67-year-old Pakistani doctor, M.S., was said to have handed the 31-year-old Emirati policewoman, A.I., medical leave to justify the days she missed work between October 31 and November 2, 2012.

Prosecutors accused the doctor of forgery, while the policewoman was accused of aiding and abetting her.

An Emirati police brigadier discovered that A.I. had been in Qatar during the dates mentioned on her sick leave, according to prosecution records.

“No, I did not forge the medical leave. The patient [A.I.] came to me as she suffered severe menstrual cramps. I gave her the medical leave based on her medical condition,” said M.S. when she entered a not guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

“Did you give her medical leave with pre-dated dates?” presiding judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi asked M.S.

“I gave her a medical leave that included the day before her visit, the same day and the one that followed,” she said.

Meanwhile the policewoman said: “Yes …but I was sick.”

Prosecutors accused the doctor of forging the medical leave certificate. The policewoman was accused of aiding M.S. and using the forged leave certificate by submitting it to the police.

The brigadier testified that the incident was discovered following several complaints that A.I. had taken several unjustified leaves.

“When I checked her movement in and outside the country on Dubai Police’s electronic criminal system, I discovered that she had been out of town during the same dates that were mentioned on one of her medical leaves. Members of the force are not allowed to travel abroad when they take medical leave. She was recorded absent on the attendance sheet of the place where she was stationed. She had submitted a medical leave that she obtained from a clinic in Ajman… it was the place where she formerly worked prior to her joining Dubai Police. That was the main reason why she was summoned for questioning.

“A.I. said during police questioning that once she returned from her travel, she visited the Ajman clinic and obtained the leave with pre-dated dates. The e-system showed that A.I. was in Qatar. Meanwhile the clinic’s medical records confirmed that she had not been fit for work during the same period of her travel. The suspected policewoman confessed that she knew M.S. from before and that was how she obtained the leave,” said the brigadier.

An Emirati lieutenant testified that M.S. admitted that she handed the medical leave certificate to A.I. because she suffered from menstrual cramps and was very persistent in obtaining a pre-dated certificate.

The doctor’s lawyer is expected to present his defence when the court reconvenes on November 27.

By Bassam Zaza?Legal and Court ?Correspondent