Bogus documents: OGDCL suspects 109 officials have fake degrees

Their cases have been referred to universities, boards; decision in 2-3 weeks.

ISLAMABAD:

The fake degree phenomenon is not restricted only to politicians – officials of public sector organisations have also been long serving with bogus credentials and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), the country’s largest oil and gas explorer, appears to be on top in this regard.

Officials told The Express Tribune that the OGDCL management found that 109 officials, who have been serving for the last several years, were holding degrees that were questionable and could be fake.

According to a senior official, a large number of cases were referred to universities and education boards for degree verification, and so far, 109 officials are suspected to have bogus education documents.

The verification of the degrees of several other officials was under way and more cases of fake degrees are expected to be identified in the coming two to three weeks.

ODGCL’s former managing director Basharat Mirza had initiated the verification process of senior officials in 2012 and during that time, the exploration company had sent 83 cases of alleged fake degrees to different universities for investigation, out of which four were found to be counterfeit.

The then acting MD Mirza had dismissed all the employees found guilty in 2012 but former OGDCL MD Masood Siddiqui, who replaced Mirza, reinstated those very employees with bogus degrees. “Three months ago, the current MD Riaz Khan had restarted the verification process of all the officials of the company and since then, 109 people are suspected to have fake degrees. But the situation would be clear in the next couple of weeks,” the OGDCL spokesperson said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2014.