Plagerism Scandal Rocks Merkel's Cabinet

Merkel's Education Minister resigns after embarrassing plagiarism scandal

Schavan announced this at a press conference with Prime Minister Angela Merkel on Saturday. The media reviews the case as a major scandal for Merkel.

The decision to withdraw should have come after the university in Dusseldorf earlier this week concluded that part of her Ph.D. thesis was "systematically and deliberately" copied from others.

Schavan graduated with a doctoral degree   more than 30 years ago, but it was withdrawn by the university this week. Schavan has announced that she will fight this in court.

- I do not accept that decision, and I will take legal action against this, Schavan said to reporters at the press conference.

- As a spokesperson for  Education, it comes as a great stress, for my office, for the government and for the Christian Democrats (Schavan's party). So I will resign my office, said Schavan.

In the German government  Schavan been regarded as a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Schavan announced in the press conference clearly that she resigned because she would not undergo a plagiarism scandal  (an uncomfortable topic) during elections on 22nd of September.

Angela Merkel says she accepts Schavan's resignation with "a heavy heart".

Schavan's  dismissal comes two years after the then Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg lost his doctorate and went off after it was discovered that large parts of his thesis was a plagiarism, writes AP.