Special commission at Plzeň university says up to 53 people could lose their law degrees

A special commission investigating the scandal regarding so-called fast-track graduates at the University of West Bohemia’s Faculty of Law has outlined 53 cases in which individuals could be retroactively stripped of their degrees, unless they provide additional documentation requested by the university. The commission made the announcement on Friday, saying that of the 53 cases, 44 involved Masters Degrees, while nine were Bachelors. The special commission, which was put together in Plzeň after the scandal broke last year, reportedly found that many of the problems at the law faculty were largely related to the former dean of the school, Milan Kindl. Discrepancies uncovered by the commission often had to do with missing documentation, from professors’ assessments to proofs of previous study. The current rector at the school has said it is not possible to say whether all 53 people will be stripped of their degrees, saying final decisions will depend on whether missing documents are retrieved.

Author: Jan Velinger