University: Minister Metnar’s thesis was not plagiarism

The shortcomings in Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar’s university thesis cannot be regarded as plagiarism, Ostrava University concluded after conducting an in-depth analysis of the work. A spokesman for the university said that while Metnar failed to include references to the sources he drew on in his 2004 university thesis, he did include the authors and works cited at the end of the work. Lubomír Metnar did not intentionally plagiarize the works of others, the university concluded.

The defence minister defended his work at a press briefing in Prague on Friday afternoon, saying he had no reason to resign from office. Two ministers from this cabinet have stepped down after facing accusations of plagiarism.