Zholia Alemi, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for forging her medical qualifications, has been ordered to pay back £406,624 to the NHS or face an extra two and a half years in jail.

The order was granted today (4 June 2025) at Manchester Crown Court and the figure represents all her known assets. Alemi has been given three months to repay the full amount.

NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) financial investigators used their powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) to request a confiscation order against Alemi. The courts will now begin recovering the money and funds returned to the various NHS trusts she defrauded.

Alemi had posed as a qualified psychiatrist and worked for the NHS for 22 years. She was found to have fraudulently obtained in excess of £1 million from a number of UK health bodies.

In 2023, Alemi stood trial at Manchester Crown Court and was found guilty of 20 offences, including fraud and forgery.

Alemi had provided the General Medical Council (GMC) with forged documents to obtain her UK doctor registration in 1995. These included a degree certificate from the University of Auckland and a letter written by the faculty registrar confirming her qualifications.

Her deception became known after a local journalist made enquiries about her qualifications with the university. He was following up on a court case in 2016 that led to her being successfully prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service for faking the will of a ‘patient’ in an attempt to inherit £1.3 million from the victim.

Cumbria Police, with support from the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, subsequently carried out an investigation which revealed that Alemi had forged her registration documents.

https://cfa.nhs.uk/about-nhscfa/latest-news/court-orders-fake-psychiatrist-to-pay-back-NHS-money