This is all happening as Richard William Laherty, a 38-year-old neurosurgeon from Brisbane, finds himself in mounting legal peril. He has been indicted for official corruption and misconduct in public office. Laherty is an orthopedic spinal surgeon. Those charges include using his position at Metro South Hospital and Health Service (MSHHS) to commit fraud between August 2016 and November 2019. He allegedly accepted kickbacks from Medivance Pty Ltd, a manufacturer of medical devices. Now, he has been caught up in a massive $3 million fraud scheme related to the misuse of public hospital funds.
We couldn’t have been more wrong.” Laherty co-owns Medivance with business partner Elliot Lacaze. Through this conduct, he purportedly obtained over $2.8 million in work for himself and two other friends. Investigators from the Office of the Health Ombudsman and the CCC have been handed allegations. These assertions are based on delivering inaccurate and erroneous narratives.
Details of Allegations
The criminal charges allege that Laherty corruptly accepted kickbacks in the form of payments from Medivance. For example, he neglected to disclose that one of his companies received 20 percent of the profit margins from surgical products that were employed during procedures. He is the subject of new charges connected to fraud offences.
In all these ways, investigators say, Laherty lied or otherwise misled officials. His defense was that the payments he was getting from Medivance were for renting camera equipment that they used during surgeries. These serious allegations of years’ long systemic abuse and fraud raise enormous integrity issues within Queensland public health system.
“All Queensland Health staff are expected to operate with integrity and accountability with a commitment to the system of government.” – Queensland Health spokesman
On Thursday, Brisbane Magistrates Court heard the matter against Laherty. So are his co-defendants, Dihan Aponso and Elliot Lacaze, whom the City has tried to exclude from the proceedings. The hearing was the first time that their charges, which have garnered massive public outcry, were publicly articulated.
Court Proceedings
The court proceedings related to Laherty’s case were continued until next month. This delay has resulted in lack of clarity beyond the scope of the specific allegations and any fallout that may await those implicated. The legal team representing Laherty has not returned requests for comment on the case as of publication.
Tim Nicholls, the opposition leader in the Queensland Parliament, warned against reading too much into the current investigation.
“I don’t want to imperil anything that might be said before the court.” – Tim Nicholls
He was glad that the hospital and health service are “moving forward with bold action.” These are good first steps that will ensure no future violations connected to the allegations go unnoticed.
“But I do know that where the hospital and health service facility has been identified, that hospital and health service has taken steps to ensure that further actions of those that are alleged cannot continue to take place.” – Tim Nicholls
Implications for Queensland Health
This case is a very serious indictment of corruption and contamination of the healthcare environment in Queensland. These serious allegations reveal systemic cracks in oversight mechanisms that are meant to hold healthcare professionals accountable.
Laherty’s charges represent a broader issue of integrity within public health services, prompting calls for systemic reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future. The CCC’s debut is not just ceremonial. It shows, at least on paper, deep commitment to addressing corruption within the sector.
