Romanian justice minister accused of plagiarism denies wrongdoing, threatens lawsuit

Embattled Romanian justice minister Radu Marinescu announced plans to fight plagiarism accusations in the court during an interview given on Monday, January 12. Specifically, the Social Democratic minister is considering a lawsuit to “defend his right to image and reputation” following accusations that he plagiarized his doctoral thesis, which was completed roughly 20 years ago.

“I am considering to what extent I must resort to justice to protect my personal non-patrimonial rights: the right to image, to reputation,” Radu Marinescu said during an interview on Romania TV.

Marinescu rejected the accusations regarding his thesis made by journalist Emilia Șercan, who specialized on politicians’ plagiarized dissertations in recent years. He also ruled out resigning from the position of justice minister following the plagiarism accusations.

“An accusation, regardless of the field in which it is formulated, is never synonymous with certainty of the commission of that act. An accusation in legal matters is validated only through a final ruling of a court,” he stated.

The Social Democratic Party expressed support for Marinescu, but the accusation has created waves in the already uneasy ruling coalition, which includes center-right parties like Save Romania Union and the National Liberal Party. Raluca Turcan, a deputy from the latter, stated it is “vital” that no justice minister be vulnerable to blackmail.

“We have seen similar situations recently in the public space. In the case of [former USR defense minister] Ionut Moșteanu, who was also involved in a controversy related to academic activity, the decision was a clear one: he said he did not want the ministry to be involved or affected, and he took a step back. Do you remember how the PSD reacted in that case? It demanded his resignation. Now, the PSD unequivocally supports its minister,” she highlighted.

According to her, the same standards should be applied to all members of the government, regardless of party.

“PSD must accept that it cannot benefit from special treatment in the case of plagiarism accusations against the justice minister,” Turcan wrote on Facebook