Think a potential candidate’s credentials are outstanding? You might want to spell check their diploma before welcoming them aboard.

In a 188-to-59 vote, Iranian Interior Minister Ali Kordan was ousted from his position in Parliament.  According to government sources, Kordan was relieved from his position once when a doctoral certificate he’d listed on his resume was revealed as a crude fake.

Kordan claims he was approached with the offer of an honorary doctorate by a Tehran representative of “London Oxford University.” But when government officials finally obtained a copy of the certificate, it was an obvious forgery, littered with misspellings.

Kordan also used the same forgery to obtain a position as a university lecturer. According to several of his students, he’d shared several tales about his time spent at Oxford. In reality, Kordan has never visited the revered university, and does not possess a college degree, let alone a doctorate.

The scandal couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Iranian government: Kordan’s vacated position is crucial in organizing the Iranian presidential elections, which are to be held in the middle of 2009.

That hasn’t stopped critics from laughing. A fake resignation letter is making its way around the country, full of misspellings and crossed-out words.

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Tags: College degree, Diploma, Iran, Oxford University, Resume lies