Gadhafi’s son accused of plagiarism

Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s son is facing allegations he plagiarized portions of his dissertation when attending the London School of Economics where he received his PhD.

The prestigious institution has released a statement acknowledging complaints that Saif Gadhafi used a ghost writer and copied parts of his thesis. “LSE is aware that there are allegations of plagiarism concerning the PhD thesis of Saif [Gadhafi.] The School takes all allegations of plagiarism very seriously, and is looking into the matter in accordance with standard LSE procedure,” the statement read. The allegations surfaced in the wake of the violence in Libya when activists began fact checking the thesis and posting the results online.

LSE has also declined to accept any further payments from the Gadhafi International Charity and Development Foundation, which donated £ 1.5 million to the school in 2009. Following a student occupation of director Sir Howard Davies’ office last week, LSE has set aside £300,000, equivalent to the amount already received from the foundation, to establish a scholarship fund for Libyan students.

Photo: By TonZ