A Sydney neurosurgeon jailed over the cocaine-related deaths of two sex workers has been deported from Australia.
Fairfax Media revealed in June that Immigration Minister Scott Morrison had instigated moves aimed at sending Suresh Nair back to his native Malaysia once he was freed on parole, after serving four years for manslaughter and two counts of supplying cocaine. The deportation, which occurred on Tuesday, was made possible because Nair - an Australian resident of more than 30 years - never became an official citizen in that time.
The move follows a joint Fairfax-ABC Four Corners investigation that exposed chronic failings within the NSW health regulatory system, allowing Nair to continue performing delicate brain and spinal prcoedures while his life was spiralling out of control due to a chronic cocaine addiction.
In 2009, two sex workers died in separate overdose incidents at his luxury apartment. In the nine months between those deaths, he spent more than $140,000 on sex and drugs inside Sydney brothel Liaisons while keeping up appearances at both the Nepean private and Nepean public hospitals.
As a result of the Fairfax ABC-Four Corners investigation, the NSW Government has announced it will change laws to improve transparency and communication surrounding impaired doctors.
The reforms also mean patients will never again be denied access to the findings of investigations into their own botched operations.
The dual investigation also convinced Immigration Minister Scott Morrison that Nair's residency status should be revoked. In a statement today, he said: "I take very seriously my role in protecting the Australian community from the risk of harm by non-citizens who engage in criminal conduct."
