Romanian council rules ex-minister plagiarized thesis

BUCHAREST, Romania – A Romanian council has voted that a former interior minister plagiarized his doctoral thesis and should be stripped of his title in the country’s latest case of high-level plagiarism.

The National Council for Attesting Titles, Diplomas and University Certificates voted Monday that Gabriel Oprea had plagiarized his 2000 thesis “Legal complaint, a historical perspective.”

Last week, a working committee of the council said Oprea’s doctoral thesis didn’t “respect the ethical standards of scientific research.”

The head of Bucharest’s Ethics Committee, Marina Popescu, said “dozens of pages have been copied in their entirety.” Oprea, interior minister from 2014-2015, said he would appeal the ruling.

Also Monday, the education minister formally stripped former Prime Minister Victor Ponta of his doctorate days after a council upheld a verdict that he plagiarized his thesis.

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