Indian doctor Mohammed Asif Ali, who was detained for his alleged links with Mohammed Haneef, has been sacked by his Australian employer after he admitted to forging his resume.
Queensland Health said Ali's employment had been terminated from Gold Coast Hospital. Ali was suspended on July 27 after it was revealed that he faked about three months of his employment history on his resume when he applied for his job at the hospital.
Ali flew to Bangalore on August 17 after the Australian Federal Police returned his passport. The police confiscated Ali's passport last month as they investigated links between him and his former colleague Mohamed Haneef, who was detained for 25 days in connection with the failed UK car bomb plot, but was later absolved of terror charges. Officers interrogated Ali following Haneef's arrest on July 2, but released him without charge.
Queensland health director-general Uschi Schreiber said the decision to sack Ali related to his integrity and not his medical qualifications, according to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report.
"It is my view that Ali has been dishonest in the way in which he obtained employment as a medical practitioner in Queensland," Schreiber said.
"He has failed to meet the high standards of integrity and ethical behaviour we require by deliberately embellishing his CV to cover gaps in his work history in India," Schreiber said.
Ali has conceded that he provided this false information to increase his prospects of getting a job.
"This represents an intention to deceive Queensland Health to secure a personal advantage," she said. Ali's medical qualifications had been thoroughly checked by the Queensland Medical Board and independently verified, Schreiber said.
He met all the clinical assessments by senior doctors at the Gold Coast Hospital during his time there, she said. Ali is liable for disciplinary action under breaches of the Public Service Act, including conduct that was disgraceful and improper and reflected seriously and adversely on the public service. The Queensland Medical Board will meet on August 28 to decide on further action.
