Dubai: An Arab parliamentarian who runs a dental clinic in Dubai was fined Dh10,000 on charges of medical malpractice and leaving a patient with badly disarranged teeth after she sought his services for cosmetic corrective procedures involving the fixing of braces.

The Dubai Misdemeanours Court handed the dentist, who is a member of the Jordanian parliament, a two-month suspended jail term along with the fine.

Defence plea

Although the accused pleaded not guilty, the court convicted him of malpractice and leaving Emirati academician, M.G., who had visited his clinic, with a ‘malocclusion'.

The suspect strongly denied the accusation of medical malpractice and negligence while treating M.G., who is a renowned university professor.

The court earlier jailed the defendant in-absentia for two months.

His lawyer Eisa Bin Haidar, of Bin Haidar Group of Advocates and Legal Consultants, contested the in-absentia ruling.

"The claimant demanded that my client reimburse the full amount she paid for her dental braces and cosmetic procedure. She threatened to defame my client by informing the media and complaining to the police; my client is a member of the Jordanian parliament and holds a diplomatic passport and he could not attend the prosecution's questioning because he was busy in Jordan then," Bin Haidar argued during the retrial.

"During police questioning, my client said M.G. had been his patient for six years. She was satisfied with her treatment; she even brought her relatives and friends to his clinic. She attended a number of treatment sessions and then discontinued treatment; then instead of paying him cash, she offered a flat in Dubai Marina or Sharjah or a car to cover the expenses. When he refused, she started making trouble for my client and his clinic," advocate Bin Haidar told the court.

Prosecution case

The defendant became a parliamentarian during Jordan's recent elections.

Prosecutors accused the dentist of medical malpractice and causing an injury to M.G. by his failure to adhere to the basics of dentistry. It also charged him with failing to apply required clinical standards when he treated the claimant.

Advocate Bin Haidar argued that the members of the medical committee that produced the investigation report were not specialised in dentistry.

Court records showed that M.G. lodged a comlaint with police that she visited the dentist's clinic for a cosmetic procedure. She said she paid Dh80,000 but, following a number of sessions, realised she was not getting competent service. She then complained to Dubai Health Authority which granted a medical report confirming malpractice and negligence on the suspect's part.