Khalifa issues law banning use of forged degrees

Emaduddin Khalil, Staff Reporter

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a federal law no.9 for 2021 banning the use of forged university degrees and certificates.

The law aims to crack down the use of fake degrees and education certificates issued by unlicensed entities for citizens and expats to get jobs in government agencies and private firms or for any other purposes.

According to the law, whoever commits any of the following acts shall be punished with imprisonment for no more than three months and a fine of no more than Dhs30,000, or any of these two penalties:

1.    Submitting an academic certificate issued by an unlicensed body to obtain the approval of the competent authority, as per article 4 thereof;
2.    Presenting an academic certificate issued by an unlicensed entity to obtain any work or seek help, permanently or temporarily, of any employer in the country;
3.    Publishing an academic certificate issued by an unlicensed body in one of the publishing media. The penalty shall be doubled in the event that the person gets a job or any material or moral benefit based on that certificate.

A penalty of imprisonment for no more than one year and a fine of no more than Dhs500,000, or any of these two penalties, shall be inflicted on whoever intentionally commits any of the following acts:

1.    Submitting a scientific certificate issued by an unlicensed body to obtain the approval of the competent authority, as per article 4 thereof;
2.    Presenting an academic certificate issued by an unlicensed entity to obtain any work or seek help, permanently or temporarily, in one of the employers in the UAE.
3.    Publishing an academic certificate issued by an unlicensed body in one of the publishing media.
4.    Obtaining a scientific title or any other literary benefit pursuant to a scientific certificate issued by an unlicensed body.

A penalty of imprisonment for a period of no more than two years and a fine of no less than Dhs100,000 and no more than Dhs1 million or any of these two penalties, shall be imposed on any employee, who accepts an academic certificate issued by an unauthorised body in any transaction, with his knowledge of the truth of that certificate.

A penalty of imprisonment for a period of no more than two years and a fine of no less than Dhs500,000 and no more than Dhs1 million, or any of these two penalties, shall be inflicted on whoever deliberately commits any of the following acts:

1.    Issuing or participating, in any way, in the issuance of a scientific certificate from an unauthorized body.
2.    Advertising or promoting any unauthorized body that issues these certificates from inside or outside the country.