Minister Files Police Complaint Over Fake Diplomas

'University of Berkley' found operating in Central Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, Kennial Laia, Fatima Bona & Farouk Arnaz, May 26, 2015

National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, left, meeting with Research and
Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir, center, and Yuddy Chrisnandy, the
minister for administrative reform, right. (Antara Photo/Adam Bariq)

Jakarta. Research and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Nasir has officially lodged a criminal complaint with the National Police on Tuesday after the discovery of widespread trade in counterfeit university diplomas in Indonesia.

Natsir met with Gen. Badrodin Haiti, chief of the National Police, to deliver the results of studies and his ministry has performed in the last few weeks, and its attempts to crack on the fraud. The ministry found hundreds of diplomas issued by foreign “universities” of unclear repute had actually been printed in Indonesia.

The Jakarta Police on Monday evening arrested two people said to have produced the fraudulent diplomas in a East Jakarta printing shop.

Nasir said his ministry had also discovered diploma mills operating in small rented shops and houses, including the so-called “University of Berkley” in an office building in Central Jakarta. The last institution was found to have only obtained a license for short courses, contradicting its oblique claim of cooperation with the non-existing University of Berkley in Michigan in the United States, apparently a misspelled amalgamation of the names of two top US institutes: University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.

The ministry also took note of formerly legitimate universities that never bothered to have their accreditation renewed. “When a university is not licensed or has not extended its accreditation for years, such universities are [technically] issuing illegal diplomas,” Nasir said.

“The problem of fake diplomas is becoming a national concern and we cannot let it continue. My ministry is cracking down on universities believed to have issued illegal diplomas throughout Indonesia,” Nasir continued. “If we find such universities, we will shut them down.”

At least 18 licensed universities, according the ministry’s data, have issued diplomas in exchange for money to students who did not follow proper academic procedures.

National Police chief Badrodin said the cases merited individual investigation since they have different circumstances and may not all be criminal in nature. “The cases are different so we need to study them first,” he said.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto on Monday encouraged graduates and employers to report suspicious university diplomas, arguing police need official complaints before launching an investigation.

Experts are calling for police to charge both the producers of counterfeit diplomas and their purchasers with fraud.