Investigation Summary

Section 69 – Founded – Fraud – Academic Credentials

Authority: This investigation was conducted under section 69 of the Public Service Employment Act, S.C. 2003, c.22, ss. 12 and 13.

Issue: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether fraud was committed in four internal appointment processes. The information provided to the Public Service Commission (PSC) suggested that a candidate in these appointment processes might have presented false academic credentials to the persons responsible for assessment.

Conclusions: The investigation concluded that the candidate committed fraud in the four appointment processes by submitting illegitimate proof of a degree based on their life experience from an online university, when the candidate knew that the degree was not legitimate.

Facts: In a 2013 non-advertised appointment process, a candidate was asked to fill in the narrative assessment used to justify the appointment. The candidate wrote that they had a Bachelor’s degree in administration from an online university. The candidate was asked several times to submit proof of this degree that had to be from a recognized university. The candidate did not supply it. The hiring manager searched online for the university named in the narrative assessment and discovered material as far back as 2004 suggesting that the university was not a recognized institution.

The PSC looked at the candidate’s past application history and opened additional investigations into three other advertised and non-advertised appointment processes to which the candidate had applied between 2008 and 2012. In all three cases, the candidate had submitted a CV that included a reference to a Bachelor’s degree and had submitted a copy of a diploma that they had reportedly received. No one verified the validity of the candidate’s claims. The candidate was appointed as a direct result of one of these appointment processes.

During the investigation, the candidate claimed that they did not know that their submitted “Life Experience Degree,” which was based on their experience and education, was not valid. The candidate claimed to have found the relevant university online on a list of accredited bodies in 2007. After speaking to university officers, and finding nothing to suggest that the university was not accredited, the candidate deemed the university to be legitimate.

After what the candidate claimed to be months drafting a summary of their experience and training, the candidate received a Bachelor’s diploma and a transcript of courses and grades. The candidate did not question the legitimacy of the diploma or the transcript, given the amount of time they believed that it had taken to draft their preparatory document.

It was determined that the degree claimed by the candidate was produced by an illegitimate university. The candidate admitted to being aware of the advantage of possessing a university degree for advancement into higher-level positons in the occupational group in question. It was reasonable for the investigation to conclude that the submitted degree was false and that the candidate was aware of that fact.

Corrective action: Following the conclusion that fraud occurred, the Commission ordered that:

• The individual’s appointment be revoked;
• For three years, the individual must obtain the written permission of the Commission before accepting any position or work within the federal public service, without which the appointment will be revoked; and
• For three years, the individual must notify the Commission of any casual or student work in the federal public service, or a copy of the Investigation Report will be sent to the responsible deputy head to advise them of the fraud committed by the individual.

Investigation File No.: 15-16-01