University Investigation Finds Deliberate Plagiarism by Former German Defense Minister

In a harshly worded statement the University of Bayreuth announced on Friday the result of its investigation into the allegations surrounding the doctoral thesis of the former German defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, saying that he had “grossly violated good academic standards and deliberately cheated.” Mr. Guttenberg, a once popular figure in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet, resigned his post in March after allegations that he had plagiarized portions of his 2006 doctoral thesis in law emerged.

Mr. Guttenberg initially defended his academic work, acknowledging “serious mistakes” in his dissertation but denying that he had plagiarized. The university revoked his doctorate and announced that it would conduct a thorough investigation. Mr. Guttenberg had tried to block the university from publishing the results of its inquiry, which will be presented in full at a news conference on Wednesday.

According to Der Spiegel, “German lawmakers were particularly outraged that several pages contained passages that had been produced by the German parliament’s research service,” which members of parliament are forbidden to use for private purposes.