Lithuanian academic ethics ombudsperson opens new inquiry into PM's doctoral dissertation
Lithuania's Office of the Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures said on Friday it has begun a new investigation into the doctoral dissertation of Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, after a fresh complaint. It follows ISM University's finding of plagiarism without a recommendation to revoke the degree.
Lithuania's Office of the Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures announced on Friday that it has opened a new investigation into alleged irregularities in the preparation of the doctoral dissertation of Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius. The inquiry was prompted by a new complaint and could affect whether the head of government keeps his academic degree.
What happened earlier
Sinkevičius defended his thesis at ISM University of Management and Economics. On October 30, the university's Ethics Committee said his 2015 dissertation on alcohol consumption contained five instances of plagiarism and two further cases of textual overlap with third-party material that fell below the threshold for plagiarism. The committee concluded that the prime minister had breached the university's Code of Ethics provisions on academic integrity, as well as doctoral regulations requiring a dissertation to be independent academic work.
Sinkevičius was given six months to correct the violations, and no immediate recommendation was made to revoke his degree. The prime minister accepted the findings and pledged to publish an official addendum correcting the dissertation.
The new complaint
The complainant argues that, although the university's committee acknowledged plagiarism and breaches of the independent-work requirements, some instances of textual overlap were not properly assessed. The complainant asks the ombudsperson to determine whether plagiarism and scientific dishonesty took place and, if serious breaches of academic ethics are established, to require the university to annul its decision to award the doctorate.
The ombudsperson's office told the complainant it would examine possible procedural breaches in the application of academic ethics standards. A previous complaint to the office had been referred to the university for initial review.
Under Lithuanian law, the office must reach a decision within 30 days. If the circumstances are complex or more information is needed, the investigation can be extended twice, by up to four months each time.
