UAE CID officers investigated psychiatrist 'based on radio ads'

ABU DHABI // Two undercover CID officers investigated a psychiatrist because they had listened to too many radio chat shows, his lawyer argued yesterday.

The officers arrested AA, from Sudan, accusing him of prescribing psychotropic pills to them in exchange for bribes. The officers said he was "more chatty than examinatory" and made out the prescriptions without examining them.

When the Criminal Court judge asked the CID officers why they were investigating the psychiatrist, they said that they had heard complaints on radio chat shows about doctors who filled prescriptions in return for bribes. They said they also heard rumours that the psychiatrist was one such doctor.

But the psychiatrist's lawyer, Tarek Al Serkal, told the court their case was "not serious" and had been "made up", complaining it was based merely on radio shows and hearsay.

"Did investigators even ask the people who complained if they were patients?" asked Mr Al Serkal.

He took issue with the testimony of one of the officers who complained that the psychiatrist had not done an X-ray on him.

Mr Al Serkal pointed out that "psychiatrists do not X-ray their patients".

An expert in psychiatry told the court that the doctor had followed standard procedures in examining the two undercover officers. The case was adjourned.

hdajani@thenational.ae