50-Year-Old Dental Technician's 15-Year Career in Bahrain Ends with Forged Credentials

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

A 51-year-old Asian man, who had been working as a dental technician in Bahrain for over 15 years, faces a court verdict on September 16th after being accused of using forged credentials to obtain his license. The case came to light following a personal dispute between the defendant and an unknown individual, who anonymously reported the forged documents to the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA).

The NHRA received an email in April-May 2022 from a person with the same nationality as the defendant, alleging that his dental technician certificate was fraudulent. The NHRA subsequently verified the authenticity of his academic credentials with a specialised company.

Investigations revealed that the defendant had submitted forged certificates to the NHRA in 2006. Based on these documents, he was granted a license to practice dentistry in 2007, which was renewed annually until May 13, 2022.

During the Public Prosecution's investigation, the defendant confessed to the charges. He admitted that to obtain a dental technician license, a university degree was required. In 2004-2005, he conspired with a friend in his home country to obtain a fake university certificate. He filled out a form with false information, claiming to have received a diploma in dental technology from a university. He then attached a forged copy of the diploma to his application. This led to the issuance of a one-year dental technician license from the Ministry of Health. He continued to renew this license annually until 2022 when his deception was uncovered.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with manipulating the Ministry of Health's registration and licensing office's information technology system from 2005 to 2022. He was accused of altering renewal forms to falsely claim he was practicing as a dental technician with a legitimate license.

The Public Prosecution's investigation confirmed that both the academic certificate and the transcript presented to the Ministry of Health were forged, leading to the issuance of the dental technician license. The court will now decide the defendant's fate on September 16th.