Interior Minister Lucian Bode told Digi 24 that plagiarism is theft and theft is punishable, but he clarified that the resignation of Minister Sorin Kimpeanu surprised the liberals, News.ro reported.

Regarding his doctoral thesis, Bode emphasized that it was not classified and that it was available in the library, and announced that he would face in court anyone who accused him of having classified his doctoral thesis.

Asked by Digi 24 on Thursday evening if the plagiarism allegations were a vulnerability for the PNL, Lucian Bode explained that the education laws had not yet reached parliament.

“Regarding the statements of Mr. President Klaus Iohannis, both at the opening of the school year and today, in Prague, they are very good, especially because they come from a person who is a teacher at Bazp, so a person from the system. I believe he has the right to express an informed opinion. Laws on education have not yet reached parliamentary debate. I am convinced that after the debate we will have a package of laws necessary for education,” said Lucian Bode.

After pointing out that plagiarism legislation still exists, Bode said that plagiarism is theft.

“Plagiarism is theft, theft is punishable regardless of whether it is vulnerable to the party or to the person. This should not be the case. I also expressed this opinion in the PNL and believe that with the adoption of the new package of laws on education, this aspect will also be clarified,” said Bode.

“Cimpeanu did an exceptional job”

Lucian Bode also said that Sorin Kimpeanu had done an exceptional job at the Ministry of Education and that his resignation surprised the Liberals.

“I would not like to bring into this discussion Minister Sorin Kimpeanu, who has done an exceptional job in the ministry. His Excellency’s resignation surprised us all. We respect that, I also personally respect his choice, it’s a unilateral act, but I have to say that in the PNL this resignation surprised almost everyone,” said Bode, as quoted by News.ro.

“My work is not scripted. Found in libraries”

When asked if his doctoral work would be published, Lucian Bode explained that he did not keep his doctoral thesis a secret, as was said in the public domain.

“This is the first time I’m speaking publicly about this, and I didn’t do it because I saw completely false statements in the public space, refuted, such as the fact that my doctoral dissertation is secret, that it is classified. To say something like that, that publicly supported work in 2018 can be classified in Romania, is a mistake,” Bode accuses.

He says it all started with a title a journalist gave to an article “which was basically correct and represented the chronology of the PhD thesis, but the title was such that Bode hid his PhD”.

“Give me permission to publicly reveal this lie here, a lie with secrecy. The publishing house issued. I find it in the library. In 2018, I defended my doctoral thesis at Babes Bolay University in Cluj-Napoca. In 2018, I have here before me and present to you a certificate from the Central University Library of Luciano Blaga, a certificate that clearly states that I have transferred a copy of the work. Two years ago, journalists said that the work can be read in the library in printed format and in the National Library of Romania in both printed and electronic format,” Bode said.

The Minister of Internal Affairs warned those who would say that his doctoral thesis was classified that he would meet them in court.

“Anyone who will accuse me of concealing a doctoral dissertation, I will meet in court, because they made too much fun of my work and what they call concealing a dissertation. Journalists and non-journalists have read it since it no longer has a cover,” said Lucian Bode.