The Queensland health ombudsman has suspended the registration of prominent surgeon Vahid Reza Adib, who was charged last month with rape. Adib is the partner of former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The ombudsman confirmed on Tuesday that Adib is “prohibited from practising as a medical practitioner for the duration of the suspension”. The suspension took effect on 2 June 2026 and will continue until it is set aside by the ombudsman or the Queensland civil and administrative tribunal.
Adib, a bariatric surgeon who ran an obesity clinic at the private Wesley hospital in Brisbane’s western suburbs, was charged on 1 May with three counts of rape, two counts of deprivation of liberty and one count of sexual assault. Police allege he sexually assaulted a woman in her 30s at a Goodwin Terrace residence on 30 March.
Adib’s lawyer, Dan Rogers, said in a statement that his client would “vigorously defend the charges”. “Dr Adib is shocked about the allegations made about him and is taking the matter very seriously,” Rogers said. “Like all persons accused of a crime, he is presumed to be innocent and intends to vigorously defend the charges.”
