Oxebridge has filed a formal complaint against the UAE-based registrar Standard Global Quality Certifications (SGQC) after a whistleblower provided a report that the CB has certified the consulting clients of a family member.
Photo showing client receiving ISO 9001 certificate from Mrs. Sneha Manjarekar (right) after having received ISO 9001 training from Dr. Sunil Manjarekar (left).
SGQC is accredited to issue ISO 9001 and other certificates by the International Accreditation Service (IAS), a US-based accreditation body that primarily accredits bodies in India and the Middle East. In a report filed through the Oxebridge ISO Whistleblower Reporting System, evidence was provided showing that SGQC is owned by Mrs. Sneha Manjarekar, and that SGQC then certified the clients of Sanbook Quality Consultancy, a company operated by her husband, Dr. Sunil Manjarekar.
ISO 17021-1, for which SQGC is accredited, prohibits the issuance of ISO certificates in the presence of a “threat to impartiality” including those based on “familiarity.”
In preparation for filing the complaint, Oxebridge then found that SGQC’s public complaints handling procedure failed to include the required details as demanded by ISO 17021-1.
The official SGQC website appears to try and hide the relationship between the Manjarekars, by referring to them instead as “Sneha M” and “Dr. Sunil.” Oxebridge then uncovered evidence of their marriage on the couple’s public Facebook page.
On the Facebook page for Sanbook Quality Consultancy, formal postings show they provided ISO 9001 training to O & J Products of Johannesburg. The same company was then featured in a post on the SGQC webpage as an ISO 9001 certification client, with a photo showing O & J’s Managing Director, Owen Hazel, receiving an ISO 9001 certificate from both Sneha and Sunil Manjarekar.
Photos published by both companies show both Sneha and Sunil Manjarekar co-presenting certificates to other clients, and attending training events together.
It is not clear how IAS accredited SGQC, given the relationship between the Manjarekars, and given that IAS would have been required to perform a “desk audit” of the complaints handling procedure of SGQC.
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Asian Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) are tasked with ensuring accreditation bodies like IAS enforce ISO 17021-1 on registrars such as SGQC, but routinely refuse to do so. The result is an industry filled with conflicts of interest, with the United Arab Emirates being a hotspot for such corruption.
SGQC also claims accreditation by “ASCB,” a known accreditation mill.
