260 scientists sign petition for new Penkowa probe

Monday morning 28 February Rector and the Board of Executives are to receive a long declaration with more than 260 signatures on it in their inboxes.

Scientists are petitioning for an independent inquiry into the fraud-charged neuro-scientist Milena Penkowa and the role, if any, of University of Copenhagen management and Danish government ministers in the case.

This is according to Politiken and Universitetsavisen.

See the call for signatures here (in Danish)

Follows earlier petition

The scientists protest against University management’s refusal to allow an independent external investigation: They say that the inquiry made by the legal advisors Kammeradvokaten in no way can be deemed independent.

»The Kammeradvokaten in this connection is the University’s lawyer and is therefore not impartial in an inquiry into the University’s handling of the case,« the scientists write.

The latest initiative follows an earlier petition from 58 scientists, and is authored by professors Elisabeth Bock, Keld Danø, Niels Høiby, Jens Rehfeld, and Niels Erik Skakkebæk. According to media reports that the University of Copenhagen denies, one of the authors, Elisabeth Bock, was threatened with dismissal shortly after taking the initiative in the previous 58-scientist petition.

Students: Trust has to be re-established

Also student representatives at the University of Copenhagen have joined the call for a new independent probe into the Penkowa scientist fraud case.

»The trust in the University of Copenhagen has to be re-established. This should not be messed up by accusations that the University’s own inquiries are not OK«, says Ea Busch-Petersen, chairwoman of the Student Council at the University of Copenhagen.

miy@adm.ku.dk