'Despicable' NHS consultant caught scamming £14k in benefits (From Your Local Guardian)

'Despicable' NHS consultant caught scamming £14k in benefits

6:30am Tuesday 22nd June 2010 in

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A “despicable” consultant to the NHS was caught “red-handed” scamming £14,000 in benefits, despite earning almost £60,000 a year.

Former Coulsdon businessman, Zahid Ali, 45, was jailed for nine months after admitting to seven counts of fraud and forgery at Croydon Crown Court.

The private consultant, who earned £212,000 in three years, was fleecing the taxpayer while advising GPs how to make more money out of their surgeries.

The "serial fraudster", raked in £350 a day through his consultancy company, Coulsdon Limited, while claiming incapacity benefit, Jobseekers Allowance and housing benefit.

His swindle became known when he tried to defraud even more money, this time out of Reigate and Banstead Council, by forging a tenancy agreement from a fictitious landlord for the house he shared with his wife.

He also conned money out of Sutton Council.

He was working with his in-laws at the Nork Clinic in Banstead as a centre manager at the time of his arrest.

Defence barrister, Caira McElvogue said Ali had been suffering from depression after the break up of his marriage in 2003, when he initially and legitimately started claiming incapacity benefit.

She said his crimes were “despicable” but blamed his behaviour on the breakdown of his marriage.

However, Ali failed to notify the Department of Work and Pensions when he went back to work and began claiming even more benefits.

Sentencing Ali to nine months in prison at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, June 18, Judge Heather Baucher said: "To their credit Reigate and Banstead Borough Council carried out a thorough investigation which saved the tax payer a considerable amount of money.

“You are obviously a man of substantial means and I am therefore going to sentence you to nine months in prison and you must pay costs of £3,000 to the prosecution.”

"I doubt this would have come to light unless you were caught red handed. The investigations were both detailed and properly maintained throughout.

“Your housing benefit claim was false from the outset, where you deliberately provided false tenancy agreements, false letters from an alleged landlord; which involved careful thoughtful planning.”

“Benefit payments are for vulnerable people – not to support people who are deeply greedy, manipulative and cunning.

Ali was arrested in a £1 million large detached house in Kingswood, Surrey which he shared with his wife and two children.

He also owns properties in Dubai, a Jeep and Mercedes

At the time of the trial he had already repaid £14,900 in over payments and was “obviously a man of considerable means” according to Judge Baucher.

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions investigation said: “Cases like this highlight the wrongdoings of people taking money from the public purse when they are not entitled to it.

“We are glad with the result and with the thorough investigation that went into it.”