INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN GORAŽDE: Scamming students in Italy, selling diplomas in BiH!?

The BiH Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian judiciary are investigating diplomas issued by the International University in Goražde. In response to Žurnal’s inquiry, the BiH Prosecutor's Office stated that there are several suspects in this case, including legal entities and individuals, as well as an Italian citizen, who is currently unreachable.

“The investigation is ongoing, with several investigative actions underway, including requests for international legal assistance. Once the prosecutor reaches a decision, the public will be informed”, said the BiH Prosecutor’s Office.

 DIPLOMAS FOUND IN MESSINA’S APARTMENT?

The Italian citizen currently unavailable to the justice system is Salvatore Giuseppe Maria Messina. Žurnal has learned that the investigation has revealed his significant role in organizing illegal activities through the Department for European Studies Jean Monnet and the University of Goražde. In the academic year 2021/2022, more than 260 students from Italy enrolled at the university in Goražde through this department alone. The Department for European Studies offered various programs, including a 6-year study in medicine, dental medicine, and pharmacy priced at 20.000 Euro per year, veterinary medicine at 15.000 Euro per year, and physiotherapy at 12.000 Euro per year.

Žurnal is in the possession of two diplomas of doctor of dental medicine issued by the International University in Goražde. However, officially, the university never had a Doctor of Dentistry program nor enrolled any students in this department.

In Italy, Salvatore Messina presented himself as the head of the University of Goražde. However, his name does not appear on any documents from the University that Žurnal inspected, except for one of the disputed diplomas.

The investigation into Messina and the fake diplomas in Italy began after the mother of an Italian student approached journalists. She claimed that her daughter, despite completing her studies, was unable to register with the professional association of psychotherapists in Italy due to disputes over her diploma. The University of Goražde lacked the necessary permit to operate in Italy, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the diploma. As the mystery unfolded, information surfaced regarding the connection between Jean Monnet and the International University in Goražde.

It was discovered, among other things, that the University of Goražde, in collaboration with the Jean Monnet Department for European Studies, had already conferred hundreds of diplomas in physiotherapy, nursing, and osteopathy to Italian students. Journalists of the Italian media outlet La Repubblica found that the university had never been accredited by the relevant ministries in Italy to operate as a foreign institution.

Two notes from the Italian Ministry of Education, dated 2018 and 2021, have surfaced, warning about Messina's fake university. La Repubblica reported that the first student's appeal was filed on February 27, and hospitals have suspended internships for students from Jean Monnet. The Italian judiciary has expanded its investigation to include contracts that Jean Monnet entered into with public and private hospitals where students completed internships.

According to Italian media reports, the primary suspect in the investigation is Messina, and it also encompasses his son Dario and Alessio Culotto.

Parallel to the investigation in Italy, the judiciary in BiH is also scrutinizing the diplomas and other illegal activities associated with the International University in Goražde. Messina is a key suspect in this case. While he remains unavailable to the judiciary, in March of this year, former leaders including Edina and Elma Brutus, former acting president Hajriz Bećirović, former owner of European Education, Research and Development company in Zenica that facilitated Italian students’ arrival to BiH Kaja Imširović, and former minister of education in Goražde Canton Damir Žuga were arrested as part of Operation Index. They were subsequently released pending their trail and are suspected of organized crime involving money laundering, document forgery, certification of false information, fraud, bribery, and other forms of illicit gains.

Several buildings were searched then, and according to reports, investigators in Goražde also discovered an apartment allegedly used by Messina, where some of the disputed diplomas were reportedly found. However, we haven’t received official confirmation of this information.

CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE

The conditional accreditation of the University of Goražde expired in September 2023 and was not renewed. During this period, the university underwent changes in its ownership structure and name. It is now known as the American Northwest University of Health Science and Technology, with ownership attributed to Mohammad Jalal Khamis. According to media reports, Khamis is purportedly a Syrian citizen holding American citizenship.

Previously, individuals such as Efe Mehmet Naci, Emir Duranović, and Elma Brutus were mentioned in the university’s ownership structure. Edina Brutus was also noted as the founder.

Until a few months ago, Kaja Imširović served as the director of the company European Education, Research, and Development from Zenica. The university had a cooperation agreement with this company, whose founders are the children of Salvatore Guiseppe Maria Messina, a Sicilian professor suspected of organizing the illicit sale of fake diplomas in the medical profession. Through this company, Italian students were brought to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to information from Akta.ba, in February of this year, European Education, Research, and Development from Zenica underwent a change in ownership structure. Salvatore Messina is now the owner and director of the company.

According to sources from Žurnal, Messina made various attempts to facilitate the issuance of work licenses for Italian students who allegedly studied and obtained degrees from the International University. However, failing in these efforts, he subsequently opened Edukacioni Centar d.o.o. in Goražde, located at Zaim Imamović number 6. Interestingly, this center was established in August 2023, a period when reports of fraud involving Italian students and sales of diplomas in Bosnia and Herzegovina were gaining traction. By then, initial complaints against the University of Goražde had already been filed in BiH. Locals of Goražde, whom we spoke with, assert that despite these controversies, Messina freely moved around their town, engaged in new projects, and was seen in the company of certain politicians. By the time Operation Index was launched and initial arrests were made, Messina had already left BiH. Allegedly, he was spotted in Palermo, but not arrested.  

In the meantime, the Education Center has also changed the owner. According to Akta.ba, the owner is now Marcello Carlo Maria Conigliaro, who is also linked to Messina, although he denied everything to the Italian media.

La Repubblica had in March 2024 published an interview with Conigliaro, who said that he had always been involved in research and that Salvatore Messina had asked him to teach physics at Jean Monnet. He realized, he says, that something was wrong when they went to Bosnia with students. He asked for documentation between Jean Monnet and the University of Goražde, and was presented with the license and accreditation of the university, the appointment of Messina as rector for external affairs of the University, the authorization for teaching in Italian and online teaching.... The documents were on the memorandum of the competent Ministry, the University and the Goražde Canton, and the Academic Senate of the University. Given that some students with diplomas were admitted to universities, he thought everything was fine, La Repubblica reported.

Žurnal’s interlocutors from Goražde report that the premises of the Education Center are now empty, with the advertisement removed from the front door. According to these sources, everything appeared to be merely “for the sake of appearances”, suggesting that the center was primarily a facade and an attempt to facilitate work licenses for Italian students. 

In addition to the disputed diplomas, competent institutions have been alerted to several other irregularities regarding the operations of this University, which are also under investigation by the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the criminal complaints submitted, the university lacks the necessary conditions for effective operation and the teaching process is severely limited.

One of the criminal complaints, reviewed by Žurnal, highlights that despite having licenses for 14 study programs, the university has only a few full-time teachers and almost no teaching assistants available.

WHAT DID THE MINISTRY SAY

The Ministry of Education, Youth, Science, Culture, and Sport of Goražde Canton has been informed about all these irregularities. Žurnal contacted the Ministry several times inquiring about this case and steps taken by this Ministry, but our inquiries were ignored.

In the latest inquiry, Žurnal asked whether the Ministry supervises the operations of the American Northwest University of Health Science and Technology, whether they have issued a license for its operation, and whether they are aware of the university’s departments, the number of employed professors, and the student enrollment figures.

Instead of providing specific answers, the Ministry responded to our inquiries with a general statement referring to our two last inquiries, stating:

“Regarding the presented facts, as well as numerous other matters concerning the higher education institution operating in the area of Goražde Canton (formerly the International University in Goražde, now the American Northwest University of Health, Science, and Technology), procedures and investigations are being conducted at the state level. At this moment, the Ministry of Education, Youth, Science, Culture, and Sports of Goražde Canton cannot preempt the completion of these procedures or provide explanations for the actions taken. The results of these procedures will certainly be made known to the public.

(zurnal.info)