800 Lawyers Challenge Minister’s Appointment Amid Credential Forgery Claims

Court documents and official university correspondence reveal Egypt’s Minister of Education holds only a preparatory certificate, not the degrees listed in his CV; over 800 lawyers demand his dismissal.
Picture of Shimaa Hamdy

Shimaa Hamdy

The legal team demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Education and Technical Education for lacking a university degree held a coordination meeting on the evening of Thursday, May 1, at the headquarters of the Conservative Party in downtown Cairo. This meeting came after the Administrative Court, First Circuit “Rights and Freedoms,” scheduled May 31 as the date for the first hearing in case no. 53050 of judicial year 79 (urgent matter), filed by the defense team.

The defense team, made up of 15 lawyers, had submitted a request for an urgent hearing to consider the administrative authority’s negative decision to refrain from issuing a decree invalidating the appointment of Mohamed Abdel Latif as Minister of Education, on the grounds that he lacks one of the main qualifications for the position: holding a university degree. He holds only a preparatory school certificate. The legal team demanded that all consequences of the appointment be nullified, foremost among them the issuance of a decision to dismiss the third respondent from his post as Minister of Education and Technical Education.

The lawsuit, a copy of which Zawia3 obtained, was filed against President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in his official capacity, Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly in his official capacity, and Minister of Education Dr. Mohamed Abdel Latif in his official capacity. The lawsuit was filed in light of Presidential Decree No. 258 of 2024, dated July 3, 2024, and published in the Official Gazette (Issue 26 bis “B”), which included the appointment of the Prime Minister and several ministers, among them Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Latif Ramadan Saad as Minister of Education and Technical Education.

Following the issuance of the decree, the official pages of the Cabinet and the Administrative Control Authority published the CVs of the new ministers. The CV of the Minister of Education stated that he held a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hotels from Helwan University, a Master’s degree in Educational Development from Lawrence University in the United States, and a PhD in Education Management and Development from “Cardiff City University” in the United States—claims that were later proven false.

In this context, lawyer Amr Hassan Abdel Salam, a member of the defense team and a lawyer before the Court of Cassation and the Supreme Constitutional Court, stated that the defense team officially contacted the registration office at “Cardiff City University” in the United States to verify the authenticity of the minister’s claimed PhD.

Abdel Salam told Zawia3 that the university firmly confirmed that Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif is not listed in its records and has never enrolled in any of its academic programs. The university also stated that the serial number printed on the certificate allegedly issued by them belongs to another person, indicating a likely case of data manipulation.

He also clarified that the university confirmed that the specialization mentioned in the certificate—“Education Management and Development”—is not part of its current academic programs, nor is there any future plan to offer it.

Similarly, the defense team contacted Lawrence University in the United States to verify the minister’s alleged Master’s degree. The university responded that it offers only pre-college educational programs in the fields of arts and music and does not have any graduate-level programs or training in educational development, according to Abdel Salam.

The defense team member confirmed that the number of applications submitted by lawyers across the republic to join the lawsuit has exceeded 800 so far, in addition to the 15 lawyers who officially filed the case before the court.

Lawyer Amr Abdel Salam added that he submitted a formal complaint to the Public Prosecutor regarding threats he received from Nermin Ismail, the mother of Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif. The threat was conveyed in a message saying: “If you don’t drop the case, I’ll get them in a sack.” Abdel Salam described the message as a clear threat and direct act of blackmail targeting him and the defense team. He said that one of the legal team’s aides received the message from an employee at the “Ashtar” platform, relaying it on behalf of the minister’s mother.

Commenting on the case, Abdel Salam stressed the need to correct this mistake in order to preserve the state’s dignity and citizens’ trust in its institutions. He emphasized that admitting a mistake and working to correct it is not a sign of weakness or failure—it is, rather, a reflection of the state’s strength and credibility. He added that had the political leadership been aware that the Minister of Education’s documents were forged, he would not have been chosen for the position.

He concluded by stating that this incident is the first of its kind in the history of Egyptian governments, as no previous minister has ever been appointed based on forged academic credentials. He noted that appointment procedures are fundamentally based on the assumption that the submitted official documents are accurate and valid unless proven otherwise, and it is inconceivable that someone selected for such a high-ranking position would manipulate those documents.

Minister Holds Only a Preparatory Certificate, and a Forgery Complaint Is Underway

In August 2024, lawyer Amr Abdel Salam, a member of the defense team, filed a complaint to the Public Prosecutor, registered as complaint no. 830719/2024 under the Technical Office petitions, demanding a comprehensive investigation into the forgery of academic qualifications attributed to the Minister of Education. The complaint also called for verifying the authenticity of all the certificates the minister claims to hold. However, as of now, the complaint remains under review, with no decisive legal action taken to date.

For his part, lawyer Magdy Hamdan, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and a member of the defense team, stated that the team obtained an official document from the Egyptian Ministry of Education’s database confirming that the Minister of Education holds only a preparatory school certificate and has no records proving he obtained a high school diploma.

Hamdan added, in a statement to Zawia3, that the team also reviewed data from the Supreme Council of Universities, affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education, which confirmed that the minister is not registered as a graduate of any officially licensed Egyptian university or higher institute, thus refuting the claim in his official CV that he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hotels.

Hamdan clarified that he joined the defense team in his personal capacity as a lawyer, not in his official capacity as a party official, emphasizing that the Conservative Party has not formally joined the lawsuit. He noted that a large number of lawyers from various Egyptian governorates have joined the case in solidarity, supporting the defense team’s demands for a full investigation into the academic credentials attributed to the Minister of Education.

In the same context, lawyer Aly Ayyoub, a cassation lawyer and defense team member, announced that he is preparing to submit a formal complaint accusing the Minister of Education of forging academic qualifications, based on the official documents obtained by the defense team that prove the minister’s certificates are inauthentic and were used to secure his appointment in July 2024.

Article 206 of the Egyptian Penal Code stipulates:
“Shall be punished with temporary hard labor or imprisonment whoever counterfeits or forges any of the following, either personally or through another person, and whoever uses these forged items or brings them into Egypt knowing they are forged: a presidential decree, law, resolution issued by the government; the state’s seal or the signature or seal of the President; seals, stamps, or marks of any government body; a government employee’s stamp, signature, or mark; payroll documents, vouchers, or other official treasury-issued bonds; and official gold or silver stamps.”

Additionally, Article 214 of the Penal Code states:
“Whoever uses any of the forged documents mentioned in the preceding articles, while knowing they are forged, shall be punished with hard labor or imprisonment for a period of no less than three years and up to ten years.”

The appointment of Mohamed Abdel Latif Ramadan Saad as Minister of Education and Technical Education, as part of the cabinet reshuffle issued on July 3, 2024, stirred wide controversy in political, media, and legal circles after information circulated alleging the forgery of his university degrees. So far, the Egyptian government has issued no official statement regarding the accusations or provided any public clarification.

The minister’s CV—published on the official pages of the Cabinet and the Administrative Control Authority—claimed that he held a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hotels from Helwan University, a Master’s degree in Educational Development from Lawrence University in the U.S., and a PhD in Education Management and Development from Cardiff City University in the U.S. However, the defense team’s investigations revealed that these qualifications are baseless, according to official correspondence with the mentioned universities.

Shimaa Hamdy
An Egyptian journalist covering political and human rights issues with a focus on women's issues. A researcher in press freedom, media, and digital liberties.

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