The Senate Committee on Resources, Commerce, Trade and Development, in a report, also questioned the statements Bells made in her resume, adding that she has not responded to any of those questions.
While the Senate was deliberating the nomination of Bells as minister of natural resources, environment and tourism, some members wanted to know if she really attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the Global Executive Program at the Duke University.According to the committee, the University of Pennsylvania noted that Bells’ diploma appeared to be “forged.”The registrar’s office also informed the panel that Bells had no record of attendance in the university.The Duke University also told the committee that it had no record of Bells’ attendance.The university’s registrar told the Senate legal counsel to check with the Fuqua School of Business which administered the Global Executive Program.The Fuqua Business School stated that the duration of the program was inconsistent with Bells’ resume because she claimed that she attended the program for an entire year.The program ran for six weeks only.Moreover, the program was a non-degree one which is inconsistent with Bells’ claim that she earned an MBA from the program.President Johnson Toribiong has withdrawn Bells’ nomination upon her request.
