Ex-dean testifies he never saw ex-senator Rivas study for degree

The trial of former senator Hernán Rivas, who faces charges of fraud and using a fake university degree, has begun with a key testimony from the former dean of the institution that issued the document. Óscar Rodríguez Kennedy, ex-dean of the Universidad Sudamericana, told the court that he never encountered Rivas during the period he was supposedly enrolled.

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I never saw Rivas during the period he supposedly studied at the university.

Rodríguez Kennedy, who signed Rivas's degree and academic transcript, admitted under oath that he has no personal knowledge of whether the information on the certificate is accurate. He stated that his responsibility ended once the document was signed. He also revealed that he only met Rivas in person in 2020, when the ex-senator visited his office at the Court of Appeals to discuss issues with processing his university degree with the National Council of Higher Education (Cones).

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Our obligation ends when the title is signed.

The prosecution alleges that Rivas used this degree, purportedly obtained fraudulently, to be appointed as a representative of the Chamber of Deputies to the Council of the Judiciary in 2020. This council is responsible for judging the conduct of judges and prosecutors, and Rivas eventually presided over it. The testimony from the former dean casts significant doubt on the legitimacy of Rivas's academic credentials, a cornerstone of his alleged fraudulent claims.

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I personally have no record that the data on Rivas's study certificate is true.