Pictured above: Andrew Azzopardi, Saviour Formosa 

The Dean of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta, Andrew Azzopardi, has reacted to a UoM probe that found he is not guilty of wilfully plagiarising another academic’s paper.

“The truth has prevailed, the inquiry was crystal clear there was no plagiarism – neither from me nor from the first author, Andrew Camilleri,” Azzopardi told Lovin Malta.

“As if I want and need to take people’s work,” he continued. “Now; I just want to get on with my work and busy schedule and wish none of this pain on anyone.”

Describing the situation as pouring “way too much salt in the wound”, the original accusations had arisen after academic Saviour Formosa – pictured above – accused both Azzopardi and Camilleri of stealing his and a colleague’s work.

The paper, called ‘Risk and Protective Factors in Violent Youth Crime’ was published last October, in the first edition of the journal “Studies in Social Well-Being” before being retracted.

Formosa had called for Azzopardi’s apology – and subsequent resignation.

In their findings, the UoM disciplinary board found that though there was examples of “lazy writing” and bad referencing there was no evidence for plagiarism. In some cases, quotations hadn’t been put inside quotation marks, for example.

The board was set up by university rector Alfred Vella.