‘Merkel heir’ denies thesis plagiarism accusations

German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen, seen by many as a potential successor to the chancellor, Angela Merkel as leader of the conservatives, has denied accusations of plagiarism in the doctoral dissertation she wrote 25 years ago.

Two of Merkel’s cabinet members, ex-defence chief Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and former education minister Annette Schava, had to quit after their PhD theses were found to include passages lifted from other works without proper citation.

“I can reject the accusations of plagiarism,” von der Leyen told several regional newspapers, adding she had been aware since August that her thesis was being scrutinised on internet platforms.