“Hundreds” of fake Lebanese degrees were sold to Iraqis.
Iraq has summoned its cultural subsidiary in Beirut to investigate the alleged sale of “hundreds” of fake Lebanese University degrees to Iraqis, including members of Congress.
“At least three Lebanese private universities have been implicated,” an Iraqi academic source who requested anonymity told AFP on Thursday.
According to sources, the Lebanese authorities have also investigated the degrees sold to Iraqis participating in distance learning courses.
According to another Iraqi official who requested anonymity, several members of Congress and senior officials spent money to obtain masters or doctorates, especially in religious subjects.
The official added that there are hundreds of these fake degrees, and that “the cost of a master’s degree ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 for a doctoral degree.”
A degree in higher education is usually a prerequisite for a coveted government position in Iraq.
Haidar al-Aboudi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Higher Education, told AFP that culturally related persons, Hashem al-Shammari, had been summoned to Baghdad.
According to Lebanese media reports, the Lebanese Islamic University, which is part of the country’s highest Islamic Shia committee, has fired its principal and four department heads due to the scandal.
Lebanon has 36 private universities, including famous universities such as the American University of Beirut.
After Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, it also had many government-authorized religious institutions.
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