A SYDNEY pharmacy owner with a "booming" business will undergo an 18-month intensive corrections order with 350 hours of community service, after being convicted of defrauding the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Sabina Grewal, the proprietor of Lindfield Pharmacy, has had her professional registration suspended following her conviction relating to 524 fraudulent PBS claims worth $365,922.09, which she has committed to repaying.
The Daily Telegraph reported that between Nov 2015 and Aug 2018, Grewal submitted fake claims for herself and family members, using provider numbers from other businesses, including her own general practitioner's practice.
Sydney District Court heard that Grewal had purchased the North Shore pharmacy in Oct 2015, with support from her parents.
Judge Garry Neilson noted that Grewal's behaviour appeared to be motivated by concern for her finances, despite the store's records showing it was thriving.
"She says 'I don't remember exactly when I decided to defraud Medicare, I'm at a loss to understand how I thought I was helping my parents overcome their financial woes'," Neilson said.
"It would appear she was making the necessary gross profit but in order to bolster herself she decided to defraud Medicare."
The court heard that Grewal's GP told her that she was under investigation for using his practice's provider number on a number of the fraudulent claims.
"The offender says 'the next three months (before I was charged) were tortuous days of fear, paranoia and anxiety'," Neilson said.
"She says 'I was steeped in shame'."
Grewal has previously owned or co-owned pharmacies in Cronulla and Paddington.
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