2019-05-17

The Seimas tightened administrative liability for contract cheating

The Seimas adopted amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses revising administrative liability for submitting works created by ghost-writers to higher education and research institutions as own research or study papers, and the hand-over of written papers submitted by other persons as their own research or study papers.

According to the adopted amendments to the legal act, submitting a draft ghost-written research or study paper (or a part thereof) to a higher education and research institution as an own research and study paper shall be subject to a fine of EUR 200 – 500.

The preparation and / or hand-over of a draft research or study paper (or a part thereof) submitted to a research and education institution as an own research and study paper (or a part thereof) shall be subject to a fine of EUR 200 – 500, and for managers of legal entities or other responsible persons – EUR 800 – 1800.

Publication of information offering services of preparation of a draft research or study paper (or a part thereof) shall result in a warning or a fine of EUR 100 – 200 for natural persons, and EUR 300 – 600 – for managers of legal entities or other responsible persons.

The adopted amendments establish that these administrative offenses committed repeatedly shall result in a fine of EUR 500 – 900 for persons and EUR 1 700 – 3 000 – for managers of legal entities or other responsible persons.

The Office of Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures has been authorized to conduct investigations of these regulated administrative violations and to draft protocols thereon.

Prepared according to the press release of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.