Arrests for ghost degrees in Bosnia, Palermo professor Salvatore Messina is missing

Last Updated: March 18, 2024

Arresti per le lauree fantasma in Bosnia, il docente palermitano Salvatore Messina è irreperibile

The Bosnia and Herzegovina prosecutor’s office issued arrest warrants today for seven individuals involved in issuing fake medical degrees, which were then used in various countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, and Libya. According to investigators, the organizer of these illicit activities is Salvatore Messina (pictured), originally from Marsala but raised in Palermo, currently untraceable.

The restrictive measures came after a large operation conducted from the early hours of this morning in various Bosnian locations by special police forces for the fight against corruption and organized crime (Sipa). Numerous searches were carried out in Sarajevo, Gorazde, Zenica, Travnik, and Konjic, among others.

The fake medical degrees are said to have been obtained from an alleged international University operating in Gorazde. Salvatore Messina is also under investigation by the Palermo prosecutor’s office for defrauding hundreds of students with promises of degrees from a supposed Italo-Bosnian university. Messina is accused of fraud against the EU, which had granted funds for training courses.