The apex anti-graft body´s four-year long preliminary investigation has brought civil servants, teachers, officials working at various corporations, police personnel under the scanner for possessing tampered academic certificates. [break]
Following its preliminary probe, the CIAA has set up a six- member team to exclusively verify the certificates. A team comprising members from CIAA, Tribhuvan University (TU), Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) has left for India for final verification of the certificates of government employees.
"The number of police personnel both in Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) is high for allegedly possessing fake certificates," CIAA Secretary Bhagwati Kafle revealed.
After police officers, the number of teachers from across the country is high for using tampered certificates. The CIAA has been carrying out the preliminary probe for last four years. Those found guilty in the commission´s initial investigation had submitted forged certificates for either getting appointment at various government agencies or to get promotion in different timeframes within the institutions concerned.
According to Secretary Kafle, the team will verify suspicious certificates in Patna, Banaras and Darbhanga universities. The fake certificates include intermediate, bachelor´s and master´s levels.
- CIAA sends six-member team to India to verify suspicious certificates
- Probe team to verify suspicious certificates in Patna, Banaras and Darbhanga universities
- Trend of tampering certificates from Nepali universities high
- Many applying for British, Indian armies and going abroad are having tampered certificates
"Various sources have lodged complaints at the commission stating that the number of army personnel using fake certificates is equally high," said the source. Unfortunately, the CIAA is not legally allowed to carry out investigation against army personnel. So, there has not been any investigation into the prevalence of fake certificates among army personnel.
The CIAA said that it would file corruption cases at the Special Court against those found guilty in final verification. Of the total six team members, four will stay in India for 20 days while two members will return to Nepal after 10 days of verification.
"We deployed the team as per as our preliminary investigation report," Secretary Kafle added.
20% Nepali certificates found fake
CIAA Secretary Kafle said that the trend of tampering with certificates from Nepal´s universities has been on the rise. "Our initial investigation shows that 20 percent out of the total Nepalis who have certificates from universities have been possessing fake certificates," he added.
According to him, those who have been applying for job opportunities in British and Indian armies have been possessing highest number of fake certificates.
After them, those who wish to go abroad, especially in oil-rich gulf countries, and has to produce their academic certificates for good job opportunities but lack original certificates, have been possessing highest numbers of fake certificates.
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