Fake US doctorate lands professor in court after 12 yrs of teaching

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court has begun the trial of a university professor holding a “fake” doctorate, who continued teaching at a private university for 12 years using a forged certificate allegedly issued by an American university.

A witness in the case stated that the accused was appointed as an assistant professor in 2006.

He presented his doctorate certificate, and after approval from the relevant authorities, he was hired by the university.

However, in 2013, the Higher Education Council was established within the Ministry of Education, setting academic standards and conditions for employment in private universities.

Although the accused was already employed at the university before the council’s establishment, the administration instructed him to have his certificates validated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the renewal of the accused’s employment contract, the university contacted the Higher Education Council, which in turn contacted the Ministry of Education.

The ministry ordered an administrative investigation into the accused’s certificate, which revealed a letter from Bahrain Embassy in Washington confirming that the university the accused claimed to have graduated from was fictitious.

“I received a request to verify the authenticity of the accused’s certificate, allegedly issued by an American university. It became apparent that the university was not among the recommended institutions,” an employee in the Higher Education Council said.

“A report was prepared for legal affairs, and the request was referred to the university guidance department for verification.

The certificate was confirmed to be forged through the Bahraini cultural attaché in the university’s country, who underlined that the university the accused claimed to have graduated from and obtained his certificate from was fake,” she added.