The investigation into a major academic forgery scandal at the Lebanese University’s Faculty of Law and Political Science, Branch I, has intensified, with security agencies uncovering what officials described as a far-reaching network of bribery and political manipulation extending beyond the initial suspects.

State Security, acting on the orders of Mount Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor Judge Sami Sader, arrested Mujtaba Mortada, the dismissed director of Branch I, and Tarek Bakri, the branch’s secretary currently under administrative reassignment, along with several individuals accused of benefiting from the forgeries.

Sources told MTV that investigators are continuing to question several people, particularly those responsible for entering grades into the university’s “Banner” grading system for both undergraduate and master’s programs. Among those being interrogated is Fadi Abou Diya, a media figure known for his ties to the pro-Hezbollah “resistance axis.”

According to information obtained by Nidaa Al-Watan earlier this week, investigators have identified two Lebanese nationals, Abou Diya and Moussa Hamiyeh, who allegedly paid bribes to falsify their exam results and obtain law degrees they reportedly intended to use as political credentials in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Security sources said both the State Security Directorate and the General Security Directorate are jointly handling the probe. Early findings suggest exam boxes had been tampered with and original answer sheets replaced, indicating a coordinated operation involving university employees. Several staff members have been detained for questioning as investigators work to determine the extent of the network’s reach.