The owner of an unlicensed training institute that routinely issued unearned educational certificates has been sentenced to four years in prison and fined BD5,000.
The Lower Criminal Court also ruled to deport the defendant, identified as ‘Asian’, after the completion of his sentence, and to confiscate the fake certificates.
According to the Public Prosecution statement, a report was received from the Education Ministry concerning the detection of several ‘forged’ degrees belonging to individuals working in educational establishments.
When asked about the fake certificates, the individuals reportedly stated that they were acquired from the offending training institute.
Following an investigation, prosecutors found that the institute had no permit to teach or issue degrees, and the defendant, the institute’s owner and manager, was arrested.
The premises were searched by the Industry and Commerce Ministry, and the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security, and it appeared that there were also unlicensed classrooms within the building.
Advertisements promoting a service to provide foreign-accredited academic certificates were also found, as well as several degrees attributed to overseas universities.
Documents, stamps and other tools used to commit the forgery were further uncovered, while receipts proved that the institute generated income through the issuing of these qualifications.
The prosecution ordered the closure of the institute, heard the testimonies of fake certificate holders, requested to lift the confidentiality of the institute’s bank accounts and seized its electronic devices.
A search of the devices reportedly yielded evidence of the defendant communicating with an individual abroad to supply him with the certificates.
In court, the Public Prosecution delivered verbal arguments augmented by a presentation generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
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