How Saudi oil money corrupted Oxford
The University has signed a secret agreement with a Middle Eastern university to fast-track the admissions of Saudi students, The Oxford Student has learned. The pact follows a payment of £2m to Oxford by the university’s chairman, a brutal and wealthy Sultan. Prince Sultan Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud is a member of the notorious royal family of Saudi Arabia, who run the country as a theocratic dictatorship and have funneled vast amounts of wealth from the country’s oil resources.
Al-Saud acts as de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, administering arbitrary justice with a cabal of family members. One Saudi academic has said of his influence: “If you fall out with him, you’re finished.” This week, Al-Saud was also accused of bribery in an arms contract with Britain by the former British Ambassador to Saudi.
The hushed-up deal between Prince Sultan University (PSU) and Oxford not only puts the University in breach of government education guidelines, but also violates the University’s own Statutes by failing to consult Council, the ultimate decision-making body. The Saudi influence over Oxford admissions stems from the £2 million given by Al-Saud to the Ashmolean Museum in May 2005.
The deal, dubbed the “Ashmolean Agreement”, also provided for ten scholarships at Oxford for Saudi Arabian students. A crucial aspect of the first pact was the demand that “both parties shall endeavour within one year…to agree the terms of an exchange programme.” A year later a “Memorandum of Understanding” between Oxford University and the PSU was finalised by a Saudi delegation.
On 4 May, the group met with highranking Oxford officials, including Vice-Chancellor John Hood who rubber-stamped the pact. The Oxford Student has obtained a copy of the contract, which Oxford University have refused to make public. The Memorandum shows that Oxford University agreed to speed up applications as a result of the £2m payment from the Sultan.
It states, “In recognition of the munificent benefaction arising from the 2005 ‘Ashmolean Agreement’, Oxford will administer the ten scholarships held in the Prince’s name. “Oxford will endeavour to identify 4-6 colleges with resources and expertise (e.g. in law, economics, finance, computer science, English, linguistics, applied linguistics and translation) that suit PSU students. “It will also seek to expedite the application process.
The promise to bypass the standard admissions procedure puts Oxford in breach of the guidelines laid out by The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The guidelines stipulate that higher education institutes must have “policies and procedures for the recruitment and admission of students to higher education that are fair…and implemented consistently. “All staff involved at each stage of the admissions process need to be informed about the institution’s policies, procedures and criteria for student admissions to higher education.” The University also failed to consult with key members of the University who would be affected by the deal. Professor Bill Roscoe, Director of the Oxford Computing Laboratory, said: “I have no recollection of learning of the alliance with Prince Sultan University before the delegation arrived.
Critically, the deal also breaks Oxford’s own Regulations, which make it clear that no such University contract can be made without the consent of Council. Statute XVI records that, “No officer of the University, or any other person employed by the University...shall have authority to make any representations on behalf of the University or to enter into any contract on behalf of the University, except with the express consent of Council.
The deal was signed without discussion by the University’s parliament of dons, Congregation, or permission from Council. The University’s silence over the agreement appears to be a concerted effort to play down the significance of the deal. The ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ has never been publicly announced. In contrast, the PSU has dedicated a web page to the deal, hailing it as an “historic agreement”.
The website says, “The Memorandum of Understanding which was signed at the end of the visit marked a historical moment for both the university of Oxford and Prince Sultan University.” A University spokesperson said, “The ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ marked the intentions of the two universities to explore areas of collaboration, but does not involve any particular commitments.” She conceded, “The agreement is more attractive to the PSU than to Oxford.
The initiative came more from them.” Al-Saud is a notorious and influential figure in his native country, who ordered the execution of one of his employees in 1997 for practising witchcraft against him. His office in Saudi Capital Ridayh overlooks “Justice Square”: the notorious area where, every Friday, crowds gather to watch the public executions of dissidents, criminals and terrorists.
2nd Nov 2006