Case Studies

The incompetent doctor

After having his medical licence removed in the US in 2001, Dr Jayant Patel relocated to Queensland and was appointed to the Director of Surgery at Bundaberg Base Hospital in 2003.  Dr Patel was employed without any background screening undertaken on him.  Dr Patel’s unprofessionalism was quickly identified and after numerous enquiries and investigations, the Doctor has been linked to at least 87 deaths out of the 1,202 patients he treated between 2003 to early 2005, 30 of whom died while under his care in Bundaberg.

The government executive with four fake degrees

In December 2003, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (“ICAC”) found that Mr Glen Oakley engaged in corrupt conduct by falsely representing himself as having tertiary academic qualifications for the purpose of applying for and gaining positions of employment with various public and private organisations.  The ICAC recommended Mr Oakley be criminally prosecuted regarding his creation of false documents and his false representations of having academic qualifications.

In addition, the ICAC recommended that public sector agencies, universities and local government councils ensured that their recruitment policies and procedures required all professional and academic qualifications asserted by job applicants were sited and verified with the issuing institute prior to employment.

The fraudulent and bankrupt financial planner

In 2001 the Federal Court of Australia awarded the Colonial State Bank to repay an immigrant couple $300,000 plus $80,000 in interest.  The court found the Bank did not take reasonable steps to check the background of Mr Douglas Johnston, despite accrediting him to sell financial services on their behalf.  Mr Johnston persuaded the couple to invest their money in one of his companies, which later collapsed.  It was revealed that Mr Johnston was a two-time former bankrupt and had a criminal record for fraud.

The recruitment firm who placed a criminal

In 2005 an Australian recruitment agency settled out of court after being sued by a client for placing a candidate with a criminal record and history of fraudulent behaviour.  After placement, the candidate proceeded to defraud the client of 100s of 1,000s of dollars.  The client argued that the recruitment firm failed to undertake necessary background checks, or clearly identify that such checks did not form part of the placement agreement.