A hearing has begun into a former Queensland Health psychiatrist who worked as a doctor with allegedly bogus medical qualifications.
Vincent Victor Berg was employed as a psychiatrist at the Townsville General Hospital’s mental health unit between July 1999 and January 2002.
Concerns about the authenticity of the Russian-born migrant’s medical qualifications only came to light during the Tony Morris led Health Inquiry in 2005.
Berg is facing 22 charges including 10 counts of uttering, six counts of fraud, five counts of attempted fraud and one count of forgery.
During the first day of the committal hearing in the Southport Magistrates Court, arresting officer Detective Sergeant Steven Bignell said Berg sent allegedly fake psychiatric qualifications from the Voronezh University in Russia to the Australian Medical Council.
The sergeant told the court he travelled to Russia to speak with staff at the university and was told they did not offer a psychiatric course in 1977 when Berg claimed to have studied there.
The detective tendered a letter from the Russian university that stated Berg’s qualifications were a “crude forgery”.
Berg’s Queensland Health photographic identification card was also tendered to the court showing he was employed in the Townsville Hospital as a medical registrar.
The Russian migrant was charged by police in 2009 and it has taken six years for the matter to progress to the committal hearing stage.
The long delay has been due in part to Berg previously representing himself and seeking a number of adjournments.
Legal Aid stepped in late last week and the defendant is now being represented by criminal lawyer, Michael Gatenby.
The hearing continues.