Recruiter convicted for fake Viagra
10 September 2012
Partner and general manager of Goldteam Recruitment Mohammed Azim Dad was convicted of selling fake Viagra over the internet earlier this month.
Dad, who runs the Slough agency, which won the n
Dad, who runs the Slough agency, which won the n
Partner and general manager of Goldteam Recruitment Mohammed Azim Dad was convicted of selling fake Viagra over the internet earlier this month.
Dad, who runs the Slough agency, which won the national ISO 9001 award and REC accreditation in 2006, admitted three counts of selling erectile dysfunction medicines with false trademarks, contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1994 at Reading Crown Court. He was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service.
Between January and July 2005, Dad made up to £12,000 profit selling Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, made by unauthorised manufacturers (not Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Bayer) in China, the court was told.
Dad was caught out by undercover investigators from drug manufacturer Eli Lilly, which Dad used to work for as a medical sales consultant before joining Goldteam. In an interview with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), he admitted buying the drugs from China and selling them on eBay for £4 a pill.
A spokesman for the MHRA, who confirmed that Dad worked for Goldteam Recruitment, said Dad, who could have been given a two-year prison sentence or an unlimited fine, had "deceived the public" by knowingly selling prescription only medicines without the right ingredients.
She told Recruiter: "I hope his prosecution acts as a deterrent to others. This is an extremely serious matter."
Helen Reynolds, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's deputy chief executive officer told Recruiter: "Without knowing the circumstances surrounding his conviction, if this was done in his own time and not in any way connected to his work as a partner and general manager of a recruitment company, then we would not be in a position to take disciplinary action.
"But if information available indicates that he used his professional position or that Goldteam is involved in any way, then we would carry out an investigation to consider whether there is a breach of our codes."
When Recruiter contacted Dad he refused to comment saying he "didn't know anything about it".
Dad, who runs the Slough agency, which won the national ISO 9001 award and REC accreditation in 2006, admitted three counts of selling erectile dysfunction medicines with false trademarks, contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1994 at Reading Crown Court. He was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service.
Between January and July 2005, Dad made up to £12,000 profit selling Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, made by unauthorised manufacturers (not Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Bayer) in China, the court was told.
Dad was caught out by undercover investigators from drug manufacturer Eli Lilly, which Dad used to work for as a medical sales consultant before joining Goldteam. In an interview with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), he admitted buying the drugs from China and selling them on eBay for £4 a pill.
A spokesman for the MHRA, who confirmed that Dad worked for Goldteam Recruitment, said Dad, who could have been given a two-year prison sentence or an unlimited fine, had "deceived the public" by knowingly selling prescription only medicines without the right ingredients.
She told Recruiter: "I hope his prosecution acts as a deterrent to others. This is an extremely serious matter."
Helen Reynolds, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's deputy chief executive officer told Recruiter: "Without knowing the circumstances surrounding his conviction, if this was done in his own time and not in any way connected to his work as a partner and general manager of a recruitment company, then we would not be in a position to take disciplinary action.
"But if information available indicates that he used his professional position or that Goldteam is involved in any way, then we would carry out an investigation to consider whether there is a breach of our codes."
When Recruiter contacted Dad he refused to comment saying he "didn't know anything about it".
