Ponta, Iohannis trade fire over plagiarism accusations

ACL presidential candidate Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday evening during an on-air debate with his opponent Victor Ponta, that a politician once caught plagiarizing now seeks the position of President of Romania.

In response, Ponta reminded Iohannis that the High Court of Justice and Cassation has given him a final and irrevocable ruling, adding that for his part, the Liberal leader has shunned the supreme institution of the judiciary .

"It is wrong for Mr. Victor Ponta to be the President of Romania because he has lied and scared the pensioners that I would allegedly cut their pensions; as a teacher I think that there is a very serious problem if a student cheats by copying. If someone who writes his doctoral thesis copies, the problem is proportionately more serious and is called plagiarism. Anywhere in the world, a politician proven to have copied even three rows and thus having plagiarized is forced to withdraw from politics. In Romania, one of them wants to be the President of the country," Iohannis said at the B1 TV channel.

Ponta made a point by stressing that there is "a fundamental difference" between himself and his rival.

"I came before the High Court of Cassation and Justice that has given me a final and irrevocable ruling. You on the other hand have shunned a trial at the High Court on the [incompatibility case] built by the National Integrity Agency, and instead you are running for President. I have a final and irrevocable ruling. There's a fundamental difference between us," Ponta said. AGERPRES