Romania’s Education Ministry should withdraw former Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s Doctor of Law degree due to plagiarism, the local commission that evaluates academic titles recommended on Thursday, June 30.

The decision came four years after Ponta was first accused of plagiarizing half of his doctorate paper.

The technical commission within the National Council for Attesting University Titles, Diplomas, and Certificates (CNATDCU) has determined that Victor Ponta plagiarized much of his doctoral thesis on international law, based on which he got his Doctor of Law title from the Bucharest University in 2003.

Based on the commission’s expertise, 34 of the 35 CNATDCU members voted for the recommendation to withdraw Ponta’s doctor title. The former Prime Minister has two weeks to challenge the decision, according to local Mediafax.

Romanian PM gives up his Ph.D., two and a half years after plagiarism allegations

editor@romania-insider.com