Siniša Mali plagiarism scandal
Siniša Mali plagiarism scandal refers to the political scandal in Serbia which led to the 2019 annulment of the 2013 doctoral dissertation of economist and politician Siniša Mali by the Belgrade University. After the first plagiarism claims in 2014, the process spanned for over five years, during which Mali progressed from the position of mayor of Belgrade to the office of the finance minister in the Serbian government, and became a member of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). In time, question of Mali's doctorate crossed the lines of academia becoming a political affair and a much wider social issue in Serbia due to the inactivity of the state and educational institutions regarding this matter, which in turn provoked public protests, university's blockade by the students and a fierce public and political division.
Siniša Mali
Faculty of Organizational Sciences, where Siniša Mali defended his doctoral thesis in 2013
Building of the Rectorate of University of Belgrade was blocked by the students in September 2019 because Mali's doctorate wasn't annulled after 5 years despite all the evidence
Prime minister Ana Brnabić and then Belgrade mayor Mali, in 2017. In 2018 Mali entered her government as the Minister of Finance. Brnabić, his high school friend, staunchly defended Mali, refusing to sack him from the government even after the plagiarism was confirmed
Siniša Mali is a Serbian economist and politician serving as deputy prime minister of Serbia since 2022 and as minister of finance since 2018. A member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as mayor of Belgrade from 2014 to 2018, and as the president of the Temporary Council of Belgrade from 2013 to 2014. Following the dismissal of Rade Basta in June 2023, he also served as acting minister of economy.
Mali in 2015