RIYADH, 24 April 2006 — The Court of Grievances has found the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University guilty of defrauding a number of students who completed an English diploma course, Asharq Al-Awsat reported yesterday.
In a verdict issued on Saturday, the court ordered payment of SR90 million ($24 million) in damages to the students.
The case was brought by some of the more than a thousand students who earned the diploma from an institute supervised by the university.
The students enrolled in the institute because of an advertisement in local newspapers that those passing the course would receive a diploma and be qualified for employment by the Education Ministry as teachers in elementary schools.
Each student paid SR25,000 and received the diploma approved by the Ministry of Civil Service after two years of study.
The judge of the First Administrative Circuit of the Court of Grievances pronounced his verdict in the case in the presence of the students and media persons.
The court ordered the university to return to the graduates the fees paid by them and pay damages at the rate of SR1,500 for each month of study. Every student will thus get a a total sum of SR61,000.
The court, however, dismissed charges against the ministries of civil service and education. The judgment was issued after a meeting of the representatives of the two ministries and the university as well as the students’ lawyer, Huzae Al-Faghm.
