BERLIN, Germany - German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who has been embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, will resign on Tuesday, Bild newspaper reported.He has already handed in his resignation to Chancellor Angela Merkel(right photo), according to the newspaper. President Christian Wulff has also reportedly been informed of the decision. Guttenberg is scheduled to make a statement later on Monday morning, the defence ministry said.
Guttenberg had been under increasing political pressure following revelations that more than 100 pages of his 475-page doctoral thesis had been copied from other works without citation.- Bayreuth University, which gave Guttenberg top marks for his dissertation, is investigating whether he deliberately tried to mislead examiners by passing off others’ work as his own — a charge the minister has denied.
- Last week, the university stripped the minister of his doctoral title — at his own behest — but he had so far survived calls for his resignation and still enjoyed Ms. Merkel’s backing.
His departure could upset radical military reforms for which he was responsible, including the suspension of conscription in the German Bundeswehr, and its transformation into a fully professional armed forces.Guttenberg has frequently been cited as Germany’s most popular minister, even ahead of Ms. Merkel.
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