Incumbent rector Runtung Sitepu has formed an internal investigation team to look into the allegation of academic dishonesty lodged against Muryanto.

USU chief librarian Jonner Hasugian, who is leading the internal investigation, said the alleged plagiarism occurred when Muryanto was the dean of the university’s social and political sciences department (FISIP). 

He said the matter came to light when an unidentified person sent an email to Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim that accused Muryanto of plagiarism in a research paper. The email was then somehow leaked and spread through WhatsApp groups.

"This is the first time that a USU rector-elect has been involved in alleged plagiarism, we are ashamed," Jonner told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said the internal team had made several important findings while investigating the allegation on Dec. 10 to 12, including Muryanto’s involvement in four separate plagiarism allegations: one in 2014, two in 2017 and one allegation of plagiarism in a 2018 dissertation submitted to apply for a professorship.

"We've handed all our findings to the current rector for follow-up," said Jonner.

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