Fake diplomas in Paraguay's Education Ministry: A 30-year business under 15 ministers

A 26-year-old scheme involving fake diplomas at Paraguay's Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) remains under investigation, despite 15 ministers having passed through the ministry in nearly three decades. The Public Prosecutor's Office is examining an alleged network that may involve officials, institutes, universities, and educators.

The investigation has identified non-authentic documents issued since 2000, confirming a system that has been in place for almost 30 years. Political instability saw authorities rotate approximately every two years, yet the criminal scheme reportedly survived each transition. The current minister, Luis Ramírez, has been in office for nearly three years under President Santiago Peña's administration.

Prosecutors are currently scrutinizing 13 current education ministry officials in key positions for managing undergraduate diplomas. Minister Ramírez himself acknowledged that his administration dismantled an operation within the ministry's computer system that enabled 500 users to perform 130,000 illegal actions to validate fake degrees. This indicates the structure continued its operations during his tenure.

The scandal gained prominence with the case of a fraudulent law degree belonging to former senator Hernán Rivas, issued by Universidad Sudamericana. This university is linked to Hermann Weisensee, a friend of Ramírez and an external legal advisor to the MEC and the National Council for Higher Education since 2023. Weisensee previously served as rector and legal director of Universidad Sudamericana and defended Rivas's university diploma even while advising Ramírez.