Prominent surgeon Dr Reza Adib, the partner of former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, has had his case heard in a Gold Coast court for the first time.
Adib is facing allegations of rape and sexual assault. He did not appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday, but was represented by his lawyer, Dan Rogers.
Adib, 65, allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in her 30s at his Burleigh Heads apartment on March 30.
His charges include three counts of rape, two counts of deprivation of liberty, and one count of sexual assault.
Adib’s beachside apartment on Goodwin Terrace was raided by police earlier this month, before Adib fronted the Southport police station a day later.
Rogers appeared for his client on Thursday, asking that Adib’s appearance be excused and the case be adjourned.
Magistrate Jane Bentley said one of the charges looked like it needed to be amended.
Rogers confirmed this, saying he would consult with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the appropriate time.
Bentley ordered a brief of evidence be made available to the defence by June 23, with the case to again be heard by July 7.
Adib remains on bail.
Following his charges being laid earlier this moth, Rogers, Adib’s lawyer, said the surgeon maintained his innocence.
“Dr Adib is shocked about the allegations made about him and is taking the matter very seriously,” Rogers said in a statement after Adib was charged.
“Like all persons accused of a crime, he is presumed to be innocent and intends to vigorously defend the charges.
“Right now, Dr Adib is primarily concerned about the welfare of his family and his patients and he will do whatever it takes to ensure that they are looked after in the coming weeks.”
Adib, a surgeon who specialises in obesity procedures, was regularly pictured at various high-profile events with Palaszczuk since they began their relationship in 2021, such as the Logies and movie premieres.
The charges were laid as Palaszczuk was promoting her autobiography The Politics of Being Me. She subsequently cancelled two book tour stops as news unfolded about her partner’s case.
Adib, who established his own obesity clinic in Brisbane in 2004, was nominated as the co-chairman of the Wesley Hospital’s Centre of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery in 2017.
Uniting Care, which runs the Wesley Hospital, told this masthead earlier this month Adib was not currently accredited to perform operations at the hospital.
Cloe Read is the crime and court reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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