Latest news with #academic record
France 24
01-08-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Wave of fake credentials sparks political fallout in Spain
The controversy began on 21 July when Transport Minister Oscar Puente of the ruling Socialist Party raised questions about the academic record of Noelia Nunez, a lawmaker from the opposition conservative Popular Party (PP). Nunez, 33, had claimed degrees in law, public administration and English philology but later admitted she had studied the subjects without completing any of the qualifications. She resigned the following day, saying she had never intended to mislead the public. Since then, more politicians have come under fire for allegedly misrepresenting their educational backgrounds. Among them is Juan Manuel Moreno, PP president of the Andalusian regional government, who was accused of falsely claiming a business degree. Pilar Bernabe, the central government's delegate in Valencia, has been accused of inaccurately stating she held a communications degree. Puente himself has also come under scrutiny for referring to a master's degree that reports say is of a lower academic level than implied. On Thursday, Jose Maria Angel, a Socialist official overseeing flood recovery efforts in Valencia, stepped down after it emerged he had used a fake diploma to obtain a public sector job. On Friday, Ignacio Higuero, a minister in the regional government of Extremadura, resigned after reports revealed he had claimed a marketing degree from a university that did not offer the programme at the time. The growing scandal has triggered a broader national debate about political integrity and the need for verified academic qualifications for public officials. 'In Spain, we continue to suffer from a chronic ailment: titulitis, that obsession with accumulating degrees that, all too often, are nothing more than empty ornaments,' historian Joaquim Coll wrote in the daily newspaper 20 Minutos.
Japan Times
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Scandal-hit mayor withdraws resignation in Shizuoka Prefecture
Maki Takubo, mayor of the city of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Thursday withdrew her resignation over allegations that she had lied about her academic record. At an extraordinary news conference in the evening, Takubo said she intends to remain in office. "While there are many harsh voices against me, I will devote myself to performing my given mission," she said. Takubo, who was first elected mayor in May, has already admitted that she was expelled from Toyo University, from which she had initially claimed to have graduated. On July 7, she announced her resignation and her intention to run in a fresh mayoral election. At the news conference, however, the mayor said the situation had changed, noting that she had heard many city residents express concern that the city could return again to where it was before. The Ito city assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution urging Takubo to step down. It has also set up a special investigation committee under the local autonomy law, but the mayor has refused to attend the committee's hearing. Following Takubo's news conference, a source in the city assembly suggested that it could discuss a no-confidence motion against her.
