Prosecutor with revoked degree: Senate sends plagiarism case back for new review

An anonymized ruling of the Senate of Latvia, which became public in mid-June, reveals that a prosecutor had his University of Latvia bachelor’s degree in law revoked because his thesis was found to be plagiarized. The Faculty of Law council decided on 15 March 2021 to annul the 2008 decision granting the degree and cancel the diploma, stating the original decision was unlawful and plagiarism had been proven.

The prosecutor has continued working in office. Since 2008 he has also obtained a master’s degree, and no plagiarism was detected in that work. The legal dispute between the prosecutor and the university is still ongoing: the Senate annulled the Administrative Regional Court’s ruling on 16 June and sent the case back for fresh examination.

Jauns.lv asked the Prosecutor’s Office whether a person with such a background may hold a prosecutor’s post. The office replied that the Prosecutor General’s Office cannot comment and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office refrained from commenting.

Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns declined to discuss the case on its merits because court proceedings have not ended. He said the final legal assessment has not been made and it would be incorrect to evaluate a specific person’s suitability for the prosecutor’s post while the case is pending. He acknowledged the public and media have a legitimate interest in explanations, but insisted the key is to wait for the final court ruling, after which institutions could decide on further steps.

The chairman of the Saeima Legal Affairs Committee, Andrejs Judins, called plagiarism in study works by public officials a serious issue that cannot be ignored, as it affects both professional knowledge and reputation. He suggested the prosecutor’s office may have stayed silent because the case is unfinished and noted that two court instances have so far given different assessments.