Top official in dock over fake certificate

Agovernment assistant Undersecretary, accused of holding a fake Master’s degree, was dismissed from service following his arrest. The suspect, an Assistant Undersecretary of Labour, now under police custody, is likely to face five years of imprisonment if convicted. Public Prosecution is investigating the case now. The move follows a directive issued by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, First Deputy Prime Minister.

In a similar incident reported four months earlier, a Director of a bank was dismissed from service for submitting forged certificates. Following the incident reported last September, the Civil Service Bureau has started monitoring government agencies. Accordingly, first-time offenders were given a warning and a salary cut of ten days. However, if the offence is repeated, actions including dismissal from service were taken.

The investigation also created quite a stir in the Kingdom’s private sector with many of the schools in the Kingdom requesting teachers and employees there to submit attested certificates. This, however, according to the employees have resulted in putting a strain on their monthly budget with the cost of certification from abroad touching around 110 dinars Following the footsteps, major companies operating in the banking, construction sector of the Kingdom have also asked their employees to verify the authenticity of certificates.

The Ministry of Education has promised to investigate false testimonies in the government sector. However, it is unclear what would happen if such practices are detected in the private sector. The General Secretariat of the Higher Education Council confirmed that there will be no complacency and forgers will be prosecuted.