Surgeons 'took bribes' for $2.8 million hospital sales

Two surgeons allegedly took secret payments to have public hospitals purchase or lease more than $2.8 million worth of medical equipment and surgical implants.

Spine surgeons Richard William Laherty, 53, and Dihan Taranga Aponso, 45, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday, each on multiple counts of misconduct in public office and official corruption.

The pair were among five people charged in December following an investigation by Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission and the Office of the Health Ombudsman.

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Laherty and Aponso "corruptly received...secret payments from medical device company Medivance in return for using surgical devices supplied by Medivance while performing surgery" at public hospitals in Brisbane, prosecutors alleged in court documents.

They said Laherty's investment company received a 20 per cent share of the margin from surgical products supplied by Medivance that he implanted during procedures.

Court documents also stated he received payments in return for the hospital hiring camera equipment that he used during surgery.

Laherty allegedly received the payments between August 2016 and November 2019 while working at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

He was also accused of being a financial part-owner of Medivance between November 2016 and March 2018.

Laherty allegedly provided false documents to the Health Ombudsman between October 2021 and October 2022 to obscure the nature of payments from Medivance.

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Aponso allegedly received payments between May 2017 and January 2020 while working at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and between January 2020 and April 2022 at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

Both surgeons were also charged with failing to disclose their conflicts of interest in allegedly receiving money from Medivance in return for using the company's products in public hospitals.

Medivance director Elliott Charles Lacaze, 38, also faced court on Thursday beside the two surgeons.

Lacaze was charged with corruptly giving money to Laherty and Aponso in return for the public health system that employed them, using surgical devices supplied by Medivance.

He was also accused of joining with two other co-offenders to dishonestly gain business worth more than $661,000 and $1.767 million from Princess Alexandra Hospital and nearly $416,000 from Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

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Prosecutors say Lacaze attempted to dishonestly obtain business via neurosurgeon Alexander Josiah Koefman at Princess Alexandra Hospital between October 2018 and March 2019.

Laherty, Aponso and Lacaze stood at the bar table and had their separate legal representatives speak for them during a brief mention of their charges on Thursday.

Magistrate Joseph Pinder adjourned their matters for a committal mention on February 16.

All three had their bail continued and were not required to re-appear in person.

None of the three accused made any comment as they left the court building.

A fourth person charged in the Crime and Corruption Commission's Investigation into the alleged secret payments for medical device use is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on January 28.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a fifth person.

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