Pharmacist's belief he was entitled to employer's $49k 'disingenuous'

Author: Tara Shaskey,
Publish Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2026, 2:38pm

Pharmacist Murad Al Gailani has been found guilty of professional misconduct, stemming from a criminal conviction. Photo / Supplied

For almost a year, tens of thousands of dollars in public health payments landed in pharmacist Murad Al Gailani’s personal bank account.

When questions were later raised about the missing money, Al Gailani insisted he did not realise the $49,343, paid in multiple deposits, was never meant for him.

It is an explanation that a disciplinary tribunal has since rejected as “disingenuous”.

In a decision released today by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (HPDT), Al Gailani’s claim that he mistakenly believed he was entitled to the money was a key focus of the disciplinary proceedings.

The tribunal heard Al Gailani had entered his personal bank account details on a registration form in August 2022, resulting in Health New Zealand payments intended to reimburse his employer for acute care services being paid to him instead.

Al Gailani was working for Totem Pharmacy Group at Unichem Silverdale Clinic Pharmacy as the sole charge pharmacist at the time.

Between August 2022 and July 2023, $49,343.42 in payments meant for Unichem Silverdale were paid into his bank account.

Al Gailani had moved to Australia around March 2023.

The issue only came to light after Totem Pharmacy Group made enquiries about why it had not been reimbursed under a Health New Zealand agreement.

Al Gailani acknowledged receiving the money, maintained he had not used any of it and later repaid it in full.

Totem Group referred the matter to the police and Al Gailani was convicted on a representative charge of obtaining by deception.

He was sentenced to six months of community detention and supervision, which he completed in August last year.

According to the tribunal’s decision, Al Gailani is currently working as a registered pharmacist in Australia, where the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency was aware of the case.

During the disciplinary proceedings, Gailani submitted he had mistakenly believed he was entitled to the payments as compensation for work undertaken during the Covid response.

But the tribunal rejected that explanation, describing it as “disingenuous”.

It found the explanation was difficult to reconcile with the fact that the payments continued after the pandemic.

“It is indisputable, that Dr Al Gailani has behaved dishonestly by receiving monies to which he was not entitled...,” the tribunal wrote.

“As such, he has failed to meet the standards of honesty and integrity expected by the Pharmacy Council and has undermined public trust and confidence in the pharmacy profession.”

The tribunal found the charge of professional misconduct, stemming from the conviction, had been proven.

While the Professional Conduct Committee sought a suspension of between three and five months, the tribunal would not suspend Al Gailani as he had already spent six months unable to work while completing the sentence imposed by the District Court.

It said that, in other circumstances, it would likely have suspended him for four months.

Instead, Al Gailani was censured and ordered to disclose both his conviction and the tribunal’s decision to any prospective employer for three years if he returned to practice in New Zealand. He was also ordered to pay $17,044 in costs.

Al Gailani had told the tribunal that since his offending, he has taken significant steps towards rehabilitation and ethical remediation.

He also provided references which the tribunal said made “abundantly clear” that he was “competent, hardworking and committed to serving communities within which he works”.

“Letters of support, in particular from his parents, make plain the shame he feels at having failed to meet the high ethical standards set by his parents and his profession,” the tribunal wrote.