‘We do not know who he is': Charities deny Dr Al Muderis ambassador roles

The Age

a day ago

Disgraced surgeon Munjed Al Muderis falsely described relationships with several Australian charities during his failed Federal Court of Australia case, with two international groups denying he holds his claimed ambassador roles.
The Federal Court of Australia on Friday found Al Muderis was dishonest, callous and prioritised fame, money and numbers above the vulnerable patients he 'treated with contempt' after a lengthy defamation trial against this masthead and 60 Minutes.
Al Muderis' sworn affidavit filed in May 2023 stated he had served as an ambassador for both Amnesty International Australia and the Red Cross since 2014, as well as other smaller charities, either currently or in the past.
His barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, in her opening address told the court in September 2023 that Al Muderis 'is an ambassador for a number of charitable organisations and humanitarian organisations: the Red Cross, Amnesty International Australia'.
In her 770-page judgment, Justice Wendy Abraham repeated that Al Muderis 'is an ambassador for a number of charitable and humanitarian organisations including the Red Cross and Amnesty International Australia'.
But when contacted this week, both Amnesty International and the Red Cross denied he was an ambassador, while other smaller charities also said their relationships with Al Muderis did not exist or were limited and historic in nature.
An Amnesty International spokesperson said Al Muderis has never been an ambassador and had no formal affiliation with the organisation, other than delivering a guest speech in 2014 and featuring in a now-deleted blog post in 2018.
'Al Muderis … has never been an ambassador of Amnesty International,' a spokesperson said. 'Reports that patients were positively influenced by Al Muderis' claimed association with Amnesty International are concerning.'