![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4c6c415aa4c25cb22dee91beaa9ff9de97bbc568.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
December 19, 2025 \u2014 8:05pm<\/p>\n
Save<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls says he is yet to be briefed on the details of the staff in his department accused of taking kickbacks for allowing the use of a medical device company\u2019s equipment in public hospitals.<\/p>\n It comes as the medical device sector expressed concern about the alleged conduct, and one health sector insider told this masthead the firm involved was expected to be a smaller operator that may no longer be in business.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s Crime and Corruption Commission announced fraud and official corruption and misconduct charges for four people in relation to the alleged scheme on Thursday, with an arrest warrant issued for a fifth.<\/p>\n Representatives of a medical device company are alleged to have made secret payments to public officers in return for the rollout of its equipment, with the officials also accused of failing to declare the payments and their involvement in the company.<\/p>\n With the four set to appear in court in January, little further detail has been revealed by the anti-corruption agency, the Health Ombudsman that aided what was described as an extensive investigation, or the department.<\/p>\n The tight-lipped nature of the probe has seemingly extended to the government, with Nicholls telling reporters in Brisbane on Friday morning he was yet to be briefed on the identities of those involved and whether they had been stood down.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re awaiting information about the names of those employees and who they are \u2026 we have not been informed by the CCC,\u201d Nicholls said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to be able to give you a lot more information but as I say, while the matter is still with the CCC, I think it\u2019s appropriate that the CCC be allowed to continue to carry out their investigations and complete what obviously is quite a substantial \u2026 allegation of fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n He said no concerns about patient safety had been raised. Instead, the allegations related to \u201cthe way in which medical equipment was to be used and put into our hospitals, and the \u2026 inducements\u201d surrounding that.<\/p>\n Nicholls said the charges involved alleged activities that stretched back to 2019 or 2020. A health sector source, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said they understood the firm involved was a smaller operator that may no longer be trading.<\/p>\n Ian Burgess, chief executive of the Medical Technology Association of Australia \u2013 the industry\u2019s peak body \u2013 told this masthead: \u201cThese are serious allegations that are appropriately before the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n Given the ongoing investigation and lack of detail released by the corruption watchdog, Burgess said his organisation could not comment further, but had a code of practice developed with consumers and other community groups.<\/p>\n \u201cCompliance with the code is mandatory for MTAA members and the code ensures that healthcare professionals and hospital officials are not influenced in their decision-making around the use of devices through financial or other inducements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cInducements of any kind are strictly against the code. MTAA calls for medical device manufacturers and suppliers that are not members of MTAA to be required to adhere to such a code of practice, by law or regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n The health department has declined to comment on the matter. The corruption watchdog said it would not comment further while the matter was before the courts. The health ombudsman has also declined to comment, citing confidentiality provisions in its laws.<\/p>\n But an ombudsman spokesperson noted the office \u201cconducts investigations into individual health practitioners where there may be evidence of professional misconduct or the practitioner poses a serious risk\u201d.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"With](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/81aee8eef1dd5bade839159359b01641cf2c9e51.jpeg\")
With the four set to appear in court in January, little further detail has been revealed by the anti-corruption agency or others involved in the probe.Dan Peled<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ced6abd847eb53a87e2907aed87091efcdff8fc674b22ca67802889abee64565.jpeg\")
\u201cWe\u2019re awaiting information about the names of those employees and who they are \u2026 we have not been informed by the CCC,\u201d Health Minister Tim Nicholls said.Matt Dennien<\/p>\n![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766286373_104_4c6c415aa4c25cb22dee91beaa9ff9de97bbc568.png\")
Matt Dennien<\/a> is a reporter at Brisbane Times covering state politics and the public service. He has previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email<\/a>.Most Viewed in NationalFrom our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"December 19, 2025 \u2014 8:05pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[64,63,137,500],"class_list":{"0":"post-361695","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}