Senior officials said to have forged degrees

 

By Nidhal al-Laithi

 

Azzaman, October 16, 2007

 

Many parliamentarians, deputy ministers, governors and other senior officials have submitted forged certificates in order to keep their positions and earn higher salaries and additional bonuses.

 

Cultural attaches in foreign countries particularly in Europe are reported to be under increasing pressure from these officials to certify university degrees despite lack of evidence that holders have attended classes in them.

 

The disclosure that senior Iraqi officials have obtained their posts after submitting fake degrees is yet another blow the government and the post-U.S. invasion Iraq.

 

The Iraqi cultural attaché officer in London, Abdullah al-Mawsawi, has spoken openly about the issue despite.

 

“Several senior Iraqi officials exert a lot of pressure on me to have their degrees, including Ph.D.s, certified by the attaché,” he told the newspaper.

 

Mawsawi said some of the degrees sent to him to certify bear the stamps of universities which do not exist in the U.K.

 

The Ministry of Higher Education, according to Mawsawi, has confirmed information that more than 900 Iraqis, many of them now employed by the government, have got their positions through fake degrees.

 

“They are still in service and are being paid higher salaries, perks and bonuses which usually are given to officials with higher degrees,” Mawsawi said.

 

There is a special market in Baghdad called Meraidi where almost all official documents are for sale. The market is known for its ‘state-of-the-art’ forgers.

 

Besides degrees, identity cards, civil status papers and even passports are forged.

 

The government has refused to crack down on Meraidi forgers.