Source : Perth Now news
The partner of former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been suspended from practising medicine by the medical watchdog, just weeks after he was charged with rape and sexual assault.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency confirmed obesity surgeon Dr Vahid Reza Adib was suspended and cannot practice in Australia.
The Health Ombudsman advised they took immediate registration action and suspended Dr Adib’s registration on Tuesday.
“The suspension of registration means that Dr Adib is prohibited from practising as a medical practitioner for the duration of the suspension,” the Ombudsman stated on its website.
The decision will be remain in place until a Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal sets aside a decision or the Ombudsman revokes the suspension.
Dr Adib, 65, is charged with three counts of rape, two counts of deprivation of liberty and one count of sexual assault.
He denies the allegations which he will be defending.
The alleged offending is said to have taken place on March 30 at his luxury apartment in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.
On April 30, police raided the Goodwin Terrace residence, seizing several items as part of the investigation.
The matter is now before the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
Mr Adib is the long-term partner of former Ms Palaszczuk; the pair have been dating since 2021 while Ms Palaszczuk was still in office.
Ms Palaszczuk is not implicated in the alleged offending, nor involved in the investigation, and she is not accused of any wrongdoing.
The investigation into the famed surgeon coincided with the launch of Ms Palaszczuk’s book, The Politics of Being Me, on April 28.
Ms Palaszczuk’s publicist Max Markson confirmed that her scheduled book tour and media blitz would be postponed in the wake of Mr Adib’s arrest.
Dr Adib is a bariatric surgeon at the Brisbane Obesity Clinic in Auchenflower, a practice he established in 2004.
According to the clinic’s website, he has performed more than 20,000 operations with expertise in laparoscopic surgery and obesity management.
