French Academic Accused of Fraud After Awarding Himself Nobel-Like Award
Investigators say the prize and awarding body were fabricated, and the university has suspended Montaclair while prosecutors examine forgery and fraud allegations.
- Besançon professor Florent Montaclair is under investigation for inventing the International Society of Philology and its Gold Medal, which he awarded to himself. The University where he taught for 20 years has suspended him indefinitely.
- Montaclair began inventing the prize in 2015, culminating in a June 2016 ceremony at the National Assembly in Paris. He admitted to police he ordered the fabricated medal from a jeweller for €250 before the event.
- After Montaclair named Romanian philologist Eugen Simion as a recipient, journalists in Romania exposed the hoax in 2019. The deception remained unnoticed in France until last year, when a colleague recalled the rumours during preparations for a fake news discussion.
- Prosecutor Paul-Edouard Lallois is investigating whether the fabricated honors illegally advanced Montaclair's career. Lallois noted the difficulty of proving criminal charges, calling it "an unlikely tale, it could be out of a film."
- The investigation impacts the University's reputation and the broader academic community. If prosecutors prove the falsified credentials affected hiring or promotion, institutions may tighten verification processes for academic credentials.
26 Articles
26 Articles
A French professor faked a prize that doesn't even exist.
A French university professor has become the protagonist of one of the most unusual academic scandals of recent years. Florent Montaclair, a specialist in philology, is accused of having created a false international institution and a supposed prize of great prestige that ended up delivering himself to ceremonies held even in official spaces in Paris. The case, uncovered by French media, has provoked a judicial investigation and has left politic…
Ten years ago Florent Montaclair created the Gold Medal for Philology, pretending it had an illustrious history: now it is investigated
A Frenchman wins the Nobel Prize for Philology, even though it doesn't exist. No one suspects for a long time. The professor receives a salary increase and more reputation. Now investigators are on the mat.
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