The Lebanese University (LU) campus in Hadath. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour archives)
The first investigating judge of Mount Lebanon, Nada Asmar, issued an indictment on Tuesday against 20 people in connection with alleged fraud cases that have rocked the Lebanese University (LU) in recent months.
The charges include "forgery of LU exam results, forgery and use of forgeries, violation of professional obligations, professional negligence, obstruction of justice, destruction and concealment of official documents and attempted destruction of evidence."
The defendants have been referred to the Mount Lebanon Criminal Court to stand trial, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Two separate cases involving LU emerged in October: the first concerned suspicious grade improvements and exam paper substitutions; the second, revealed by Al Jadeed, exposed an alleged ring selling university diplomas with the complicity of an official at the education minister's office.
LU quickly denied these accusations, asserting "its commitment to the university's reputation and the credibility of its diplomas, which are recognized locally and internationally."
