Ten months have passed since SIPA members arrested eleven people, among them professors, deans and rectors, on suspicion of issuing fake diplomas in the “Cluster” operation. Nine private faculties are under the scrutiny of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the prosecutor’s decision has not yet been made due to the scope of the investigation. As a result of extraordinary inspections, which were requested by the relevant Ministry in connection with the action of SIPA, the Inspectorate of the Republik Srpska ordered the High School for Applied and Legal Sciences “Prometej” from Banjaluka to cancel 110 diplomas and remove deficiencies in 126.
“We have established that at certain universities it is possible to acquire the academic title of doctor or master’s degree in five days. We can buy a diploma, for example, civil engineer at a gas station”, said Milanko Kajganić, chief prosecutor of the BiH Prosecutor’s Office.
This is how the chief prosecutor spoke about the “Klaster” diploma purchase affair. The investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH included 15 suspects from nine private faculties from Banjaluka, Travnik, Mostar and Brčko. The BiH Prosecutor’s Office points out that together with members of SIPA, they are dealing with this case as a matter of priority, but that the investigation has not yet been completed.
“Analytical processing of extremely extensive evidentiary material and material documentation, which was temporarily confiscated from higher education institutions by the orders of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is being intensively carried out, while at the same time carrying out the necessary expert examinations, hearing a large number of witnesses and other investigative actions,” state the State Prosecutor’s Office.
Among the faculties that are under investigation is “Prometej” from Banja Luka, which was ordered by the Inspectorate to cancel 110 diplomas, and to correct errors for 126, because the diplomas do not contain information about the type of study. The competent ministry rejected the appeal of “Prometej” as unfounded, which is why this university initiated an administrative dispute before the court.
“This higher education institution, although it knew about this obligation, did not do it, and continued to illegally award academic titles to persons who had completed professional studies,” the relevant ministry said.
In Prometej, they didn’t want to be in front of the cameras. Although the director promised to make a statement, he later did not return BHRT phone calls.
Corruption in education corresponds to those who are in power, but also to those who are not, and want to be, according to Transparency International BiH (TI BiH).
“The hyperproduction of personnel leads to easier employment, most often people who are party soldiers. Practice has so far shown that the people who have been prosecuted are those who have lost their political power and are no longer in any important position,” says Damjan Ožegović from Transparency International BiH.
A professor at a public university believes that the fight should start from those who want to buy a diploma, which does not diminish the responsibility of those who offer to acquire academic titles in an illegal way. He points out that relicensing should be more rigorous.
“If irregularities are noticed, how can someone get a license again? We know that there are faculties where it was found that they sold diplomas and got a license again. How is this possible? We are thereby imitating the sale of diplomas,” emphasized Borislav Vukojević, professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences. Banja Luka.
The faculties under investigation last year had a total income of 20 million marks and a profit of more than 2.2 million marks. In the Cluster action, 450,000 marks were temporarily confiscated. Our interlocutors conclude that if this affair does not end with prison sentences, corruption in education will continue.
