Prime minister confident dissertation probe will end in his favour

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has said he expects any investigation into his doctoral dissertation to conclude favourably for him, according to a report by public broadcaster LRT.

The Academic Ethics and Procedures Controller’s Office received a complaint alleging possible plagiarism in Sinkevičius’s dissertation and forwarded it to ISM University of Management and Economics, where he earned his doctorate in 2015. The university confirmed it had received an official inquiry about a potential violation and will assess it under its internal procedures. Its Ethics Commission has 10 calendar days to decide whether to examine the complaint.

Sinkevičius told reporters on Thursday that he had written the dissertation himself and believed the matter should already be closed. “Investigations may be launched, but I do not think they will change or deny that the dissertation was prepared and defended publicly, that it was accessible and visible,” he said.

He acknowledged that political circumstances had made the issue relevant after 11 years but remained confident that any probe would end in his favour. Sinkevičius also stated that his doctoral studies were state-funded.

Recent social media discussions have raised questions about his dissertation, including allegations of plagiarism involving excerpts from other authors’ work presented under his name.

Sinkevičius holds a bachelor’s degree in management and business administration from Vilnius University (2007), a bachelor’s in law from Mykolas Romeris University (2008), and a master’s in marketing and management from ISM (2009).