By Kajal Nair, RNZ
File photo. Photo: 123RF
A man who tried to fake university documents to become a veterinarian in New Zealand has been convicted and fined.
Siddharth Tushar Vaishnav, who is a qualified vet in India, applied to register with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand in February 2024.
As part of his application, he submitted a certified copy of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree he claimed to have earned from the University of Melbourne.
The council provisionally registered him, but during a routine verification process the University of Melbourne confirmed Vaishnav had never been enrolled there.
When confronted, he produced a transcript which was also found to be false.
His registration was cancelled in March 2024, before he began working.
Wellington District Court found Vaishnav guilty of knowingly using false documents to obtain registration, which is an offence under the Veterinarians Act 2005.
He was fined $7000.
Vet Council deputy registrar Liam Shields said it was the first case of its kind in New Zealand.
"This conviction presents the serious nature of presenting false documentation. It is now very easy to obtain fake degrees and academic transcripts, which is why close checks with tertiary institutes are essential to keep our people and animals safe," he said.
Vaishnav would have needed to do additional study or pass the Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE) to qualify to practise here, as his Indian qualification was not automatically recognised.
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