In a Facebook comment left under a post that Azzopardi published last September to announce the paper, Formosa told the dean to inform everyone that the paper had been withdrawn “as it amounted to academic theft (plagiarism) from articles published myself and Dr Formosa Pace”.

He also urged Azzopardi to issue a public apology.

History lecturer Simon Mercieca then revealed that Formosa took it a step further, posting in a group for UM academics that Azzopardi should resign as Dean of the Faculty.

“Truly a sad day for Maltese scholarship,” Formosa said. “That a student plagiarises work is worrying, that an academic and an RSO severely plagiarise colleagues’ hard-sought publications is unheard of in this Alma Mater. That the authors include the Dean of Social Wellbeing is utterly condemnable.”

This is Azzopardi’s statement to Lovin Malta in full

“I acknowledge the mistake that the work presented to the journal Studies in Social Wellbeing was not of the standard befitting academia.

Consequently, the main author and myself have worked hand-in-hand with the editorial board of the journal and went above and beyond what was requested from us as authors and decided to retract the article in question of our own accord.

While I agree that the paper could have benefitted from further review  I rebut any allegations that this was the product of any wilful misdoing as the Editorial Board itself noted. If this is an attempt at silencing me I want to assure everyone that I will keep responding with vigour to the current social issues, whether it’s about prisons, activism or other social issues I believe need to be represented in our society.”

What do you make of this?