A LUSAKA man has been dragged to the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court for allegedly forging an assessment letter for registration as a medical doctor and uttering the said document to the Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ).

Phillip Silwaba, 25, who is facing two counts of forgery and uttering false documents, however, denied the charges against him.

In count one, particulars of the offence allege that between August 31 and September 17, 2020, Silwaba with intent to defraud, forged an assessment letter dated June 2, 2020, for registration as a medical doctor purported to show that it was genuinely issued, when in fact not.

In count two, it is also alleged that between August 31 and September 17, 2020, Silwaba knowingly and fraudulently uttered the forged assessment letter to the Health Professions Council of Zambia.

And when the matter came up on for trial before Magistrate Betty Malupenga last week, a security officer at UTH compound Tason Nyirongo, testified that on September 17, 2020, Charles Muntemba, the head of clinical care, informed him that he had a file bearing the name Dr Phillip Silwaba, who they suspected to be a fake doctor due to his performance.

The State witness further narrated to the Court that Dr Muntemba and other personnel, who attended a management meeting said Silwaba’s performance was below par and that they wanted to look at his file together with him (accused) after the morning meeting.

“Later on, there was a meeting aimed at critically looking at the documentation in Silwaba’s file. When we were looking, we came across two Grade 12 certificates and a degree he obtained in 2020. Silwaba also re-sat for grade 12 in 2015 and obtained a GCE. Looking at the time Silwaba graduated and the time he re-sat for his GCE, the hospital management became suspicious,” Nyirongo said.

The witness added that Silwaba had been engaged as an intern at UTH last year.

Nyirongo said after the meeting, they then resolved to report the matter to Law Enforcement Agencies and Silwaba was later apprehended.

During cross-examination, the witness was asked by the defence if he verified whether the accused was cleared by the Health Professionals Council of Zambia to practice as an intern at UTH.

In response, Nyirongo said no.

Trial continues on February 23, 2020.