Sharjah pharmacist receives jail term over Dh200,000 prescription fraud plot

The pharmacy owner and a drug company worker forged dozens of prescriptions to make false insurance claims

An Egyptian pair forged prescriptions before claiming their cost from an insurance company. The National    

A pharmacy owner and a drug company worker defrauded a health insurer in a Dh200,000 prescription scam.

The Egyptian pair, both 43, conspired to falsify dozens of prescriptions by using the name and signature of an Abu Dhabi physician without his knowledge.

The pharmacist claimed Dh375,000 ($102,000) for the forged prescriptions through her health insurance coverage. She was required to pay Dh150,000, Sharjah Criminal Court heard.

In May, the physician received a call from the insurance company to discuss an increase in prescriptions issued in his name.

“I was told by the insurance company that the prescriptions were submitted to a pharmacy in Sharjah,” said the Egyptian doctor in evidence.

He was shown the prescriptions, which he confirmed were not issued by him.

An internal investigation was launched by the insurance company which found the prescriptions were issued in the names of 11 people.

The court was told that while they all worked at the pharmaceutical company, along with the male defendant, they were not aware their names had been used on the forgeries.

They also said they had never visited the pharmacy in Sharjah.

The owner of the pharmacy was questioned by the insurance company.

“She admitted the prescriptions were fake and that she illegally obtained their value from the insurance company,” said a senior administrator at the insurance company.

The woman and her accomplice were charged with forgery, use of forged documents and obtaining money illegally, which they denied in court.

They were convicted and sentenced to six months in prison, followed by deportation.

Emirati lawyer, Badir Khamees, representing the insurance company, filed a lawsuit against the defendants seeking compensation.