10 fake doctorate certificates uncovered as probe continues

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Main suspect owns pharmaceutical company, three pharmacies

KUWAIT CITY, July 25: Investigations into the fake academic certificates issue continue and more than 10 fake doctorate certificates obtained by Kuwaitis working in the government sector have been discovered so far, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Security sources revealed four more people, including a department head and deputy manager in a ministry, were blacklisted and banned from traveling recently; indicating an arrest warrant has been issued against them. Investigators also found out that the main suspect in the case (Egyptian) owns a pharmaceutical company and three pharmacies in Kuwait, adding that he imports medicines from his country and sells them in Kuwait.

He and a relative also own a drilling company in Kuwait. On the other hand, the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education has announced that it has started reviewing certificates granted to Kuwaitis who completed master’s and doctoral degrees in the last three years to verify their validity. Jordanian Minister of Higher Education Dr Adel Al-Twaisi told the daily that if fraud is proven, the certificate holders will be stripped of the degree. “In May, we received information from our embassy in Kuwait that some people submitted certifi- cates issued by Jordanian universities. We got the details and contacted the competent authorities who opened an investigation into the case”, he said.

Spokesman of the ministry Mahmoud al-Khalayleh added the ministry contacted the prosecutor at Northern Amman Court in May, after a Kuwaiti alleged that a Jordanian is involved in fraud by offering scientific degrees on social media. After receiving a detailed report from the cultural attaché at the Jordanian Embassy in Kuwait about news published on all Kuwaiti media platforms, the ministry coordinated with the concerned authorities to follow up this issue and obtain correct information, because the subject was raised through social media sites and other media platforms, al-Khalayleh added.

Online
Furthermore, a certain office at an academic institution in an Arab country offers its services online, reports Al-Rai daily. In response to the telephone inquiry of the daily, a female marketing officer explained that “master’s and doctoral degrees are based on the certificate of equivalency system.

This means the applicants are required to submit only the bachelor’s degree certificate and a three-year experience certificate. After submission of these documents, the degree will be considered equivalent to master’s degree without studying or discussion.”

“The subject of the thesis is based on the professional experience, and the certificate is issued by any of the British and American universities we are dealing with. Once the papers are submitted, the assessment takes about 24 to 48 hours and certificates are issued within 15 to 20 days,” the marketing officer added. Asked about the authentication mechanism, she disclosed the office can do the authentication of documents within 60 to 75 days. On attending classes, she replied: “It is not necessary to attend classes for those who want to obtain master’s and doctorate degrees.”

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