The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has identified 11 irregularities in applications for the 21st intake of the lawyer training programme and is preparing to refer five suspects to court, as authorities step up scrutiny of academic qualifications submitted by candidates.
The findings were reported by Om Yentieng, Senior Minister and President of the ACU, during the 15th meeting of the fourth mandate of the National Council Against Corruption (NCAC) on Wednesday, chaired by council president Men Sam An, who is also a Supreme Advisor to the King.
According to the ACU, the irregularities were identified during its monitoring of the application process, which received 736 applications from 816 application forms sold.
Yentieng said five of the 11 cases involved candidates submitting forged documents. Other cases included discrepancies in personal records, missing original diploma records and candidates refusing to cooperate with investigators.
In one case, a candidate who obtained a high school diploma in 2009 independently changed their name and date of birth before applying to a court in 2019 to formalise the changes.
In another case, the original records of two candidates’ high school diplomas could not be found at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.
However, subsequent investigations in the provinces confirmed that both candidates had genuinely passed the examinations.
The ACU is also investigating another candidate’s high school diploma, while a separate candidate who failed to appear for questioning after being summoned will be brought in to provide a statement, according to the report.
Earlier this month, the ACU disclosed several cases involving the alleged use of forged high school diplomas to apply for the lawyer training programme.
In one case, a candidate who failed the 2019 high school examination allegedly purchased a forged diploma for $700 through a teacher, who admitted receiving commissions of $30 to $50 per document and referring customers to a major broker about 30 times.
The candidate had reportedly used the forged diploma 17 times.
Another candidate who failed the same examination allegedly bought a forged diploma for $350 from an acquaintance met at a coffee stall.
The candidate later confessed to the ACU and alleged that the person who arranged the document was the child of a Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education. The diploma had reportedly been used seven times.
