Forged Diplomas and Selling Teacher Positions at Panama’s Ministry of Education.

On Monday Oct 19, raids were carried out in several provinces to dismantle an alleged network dedicated to the sale of jobs in the Ministry of Education (Meduca) and the falsification of diplomas used to accredit people who performed teaching functions without the corresponding studies.  Eighteen people were arrested, allegedly linked to crimes of document forgery and illegal practice of the profession.

The actions were coordinated between the National Police, through the Directorate of Judicial Investigation, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in what was called Operation Credentials 2.0. The members of this network, linked to these alleged activities, were surprised in the early hours in the provinces of Panama West, Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, Veraguas and Los Santos. Among those apprehended were administrative officials, teachers, private individuals, and former teachers from the Ministry of Education, who were placed under the orders of the competent authorities.