Former Minister of Labor Christine Aschbacher can breathe a sigh of relief: despite the bizarre formulations, her thesis is not a plagiarism, the Technical University of Bratislava explains to the “Krone”. For the ex-politician it is the final acquittal after the controversial plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber wanted her written work ‘dismantled’.
Stupid German? Yes! Partially flawed translations? Yes! intent to cheat? No! An academic title should be the “result of decent research work”, according to the Slovak University of Technology (STU). In the plagiarism scandal involving former Labor Minister Christine Aschbacher (ÖVP), an “independent commission of inquiry” now considers this allegation fulfilled, the STU said at the request of the Crown.
In the dissertation, the “committee does not find plagiarism”. Aschbacher has “the right to use her academic degree “PhD”. The STU thus relieves the ex-ÖVP politician of all allegations of fraud by the controversial plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber. He wanted Aschbacher’s graduation thesis, submitted to the University of Applied Sciences Science in Wiener Neustadt, to be “dismantled” A committee of experts disagreed.
Aschbacher’s political career in ruins
At the time, Weber’s accusations spread so quickly that the ÖVP politician eventually resigned and disappeared in mid-January 2021 – exactly two days after the first allegations were made public. Whimsical phrases like “Assumptions are like barnacles on the side of a boat, they slow us down” from her dissertation also attracted ridicule.
Weber also claims to have found allegations of plagiarism against Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) and quality defects against Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens). The politicians deny the accusations, the University of Vienna has already acquitted the Minister of Justice. In the Zadic case, Weber spoke of “cheating” and “university corruption”.
However, the self-proclaimed plagiarism hunter had recently been criticized for being brought in by a fake original source. His client wanted to discredit a well-known German forensic doctor, the “Zeit” reported.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
