Qatari Officials and Business Owners Sentenced in Major Healthcare Fraud Case

Doha, Qatar - In a significant Anti-Corruption Victory, Qatari Court sentences 16 Individuals to Prison Terms and Heavy Fines

The conviction of 16 Individuals

A Doha Criminal Court on sentenced 16 individuals, including four Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) employees, to prison terms and hefty fines for bribery, abuse of office, money laundering, and damage to public funds.
Convicted HMC Officials: A Qatari national was handed down a 15-year sentence and a fine of 729 million riyals ($200 million). Another Qatari official received an 11-year jail term and a fine of 171 million riyals. Three other employees were given similar sentences.

Ten other accused individuals, including two Qatari nationals and company owners contracted by HMC, received jail sentences ranging from five to eight years and fines totaling 250 million riyals.

The Four HMC employees were part of a wider group charged in July 2023 with corrupt practices at Qatar’s largest healthcare provider.
Prosecutors revealed that the employees had:
- Exploited their positions at HMC
- Favored specific companies
- Facilitated their contracts
- In exchange for bribes

HMC manages 12 hospitals across Qatar, the National Ambulance Service, and offers home and residential care, employing over 25,000 people.
Qatar has intensified its efforts against corruption in recent years, with this case following hot on the heels of the conviction of the former finance minister, Ali Sherif Al Emadi, for money laundering over $5.6 billion in February 2024.
- He was given a 20-year prison sentence and fined 61.3 billion riyals.
Al Emadi had served significant roles:
- Chairman of the central bank
- Board member of the sovereign wealth fund
- President of Qatar Airways’ executive board

Al Emadi was arrested in May 2023 following the abolition of immunity provisions for cabinet ministers by Sheikh Tamim.
The very next day before his arrest, Sheikh Tamim revoked these protections.