QASSIM – An Arab expatriate worker who was arrested earlier for allegedly selling false college diplomas has turned out to be a farmer. He was arrested by Qassim Police after a Saudi approached a police station and reported him. He told investigators that he sold bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees in different specialties for SR17,000 to SR20,000. He told them how he obtained a diploma from a university in his country within a month after having it attested by all official authorities in his country. Qassim Police spokesman Col. Fahd Al-Habdan said the worker was caught red-handed earlier while selling a college diploma to someone. Some academic experts said such incidents would not have happened if there were strict procedures in place to prevent forgers from engaging in such activities. Dr. Muhammad Al-Faridi, a health consultant, said this practice could damage the health sector because some people might obtain false medical college diplomas then end up working in a hospital and making fatal medical errors. He called on heath authorities to contact the universities abroad from which health diplomas were obtained to double check if such diplomas are authentic and have been issued properly and officially. He also suggested that anyone caught with a false diploma in the health sector should be severely punished. He said Saudi missions abroad should double check the authenticity of diplomas obtained by visa applicants before granting them a visa to enter the Kingdom. Abdullah Salman, social specialist, criticized this practice, adding that academics who obtain fake diplomas should be named and shamed. Mansour Al-Faridi, media expert, called for intensifying the efforts exerted to curb this practice. He said some people do not care about what is permissible and not permissible in Islam and focus only on fame and money, claiming they would do anything to become famous or obtain false academic degrees that bring them higher social status, he added. He called on the media to play an important role in raising public awareness about this practice and publishing the names of persons found guilty of possessing fake diplomas. Adel Khamsan, media expert, said there are no strict punishments for those who obtain fake college diplomas. Some authorities do not double check the authenticity of college diplomas held by applicants and employ them once they see that they hold a higher degree, he claimed.
