Cairo: The Kuwaiti government has ordered the examination of graduation degrees of its state employees for suspected forgeries, the official Kuwaiti news agency Kuna reported.
The move comes as the Gulf country is rocked by allegations of mass diploma forgeries by incumbent job holders.
The government decided to form a committee led by the Higher Education Ministry to examine certificates of national and expatriate civil servants and take legal measures against anyone proved to have obtained a job through fake educational qualifications, the agency reported.
The committee will also comprise representatives from the Civil Service Department and the Legislation Department, a judicial authority.
“The Cabinet of Councils confirms its insistence on taking all legal procedures against forgers of educational certificates until investigations are completed and they are put on trial,” the government said in a statement released after a meeting.
It vowed to bring all wrongdoers, whatever their positions, to justice.
In recent weeks, Kuwaiti authorities have mounted a crackdown on fake diploma holders in the country. Several suspects have reportedly been arrested in connection with investigations.
Last week, the Higher Education Ministry said it had discovered an unspecified number of forged university degrees after a foreign worker at the ministry had been found to be implicated in the illegal act.
Earlier, Kuwaiti Higher Education Minister Hamed Al Azami said his ministry had filed reports to the public prosecution about 40 suspected bogus diplomas. “The initial inspection led to the discovery of a number of forged diplomas, which called for an extra effort with the Interior Ministry to find out who is behind this problem,” the minister added in media remarks.
