The Albanian government has decided to close the activity of the 'Wisdom' College this Wednesday, defining even what they should do after this decision.

According to the government decision, this College should pay off all obligations for the academic year 2023-2024 and return the payment made by the students for the new academic year.

In a troubling incident that has shaken the foundations of private higher education in Albania and Italy, administrators of the private college “Wisdom” in Tirana, along with seven other individuals, have been arrested recently by Italian police. This group has been implicated in a widespread scandal involving the sale of fake diplomas and certificates in Italy. Before reaching this level of deceit, the perpetrators had already attempted to corrupt high-ranking educational officials in Albania.

The sale of fraudulent diplomas has exposed a disturbing trend that tarnishes the credibility of private higher education institutions. According to the investigation, the Italian administrators of Wisdom College, Savino Cianci and Lucia Catalano, spearheaded a criminal organization. Their initial intent was to establish a center of excellence for students in Tirana, but the operation devolved into a fraud network that distributed false academic qualifications to Italian citizens, local media said.

Italy’s Guardia di Finanza uncovered that Cianci and Catalano had attempted to bribe Shqiponja Telhaj, the president of Albania's Accreditation Council, offering her a designer handbag worth €1,150. Their corruption efforts did not stop there. They allegedly tried to penetrate deeper into the Ministry of Education with expensive gifts, hoping to buy influence. However, Telhaj has publicly denied knowing the Italian couple, dismissing the accusations as slander.

Documents from the Italian prosecution reveal that Wisdom College was printing counterfeit diplomas in exchange for payments ranging from €6,000 for hotel management degrees to €19,000 for education sciences diplomas. The Italian authorities initiated investigations following complaints from several citizens. So far, nine individuals in Italy have been arrested, but there is no clear information on whether these investigations will extend to Albania.