TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taiwan University (NTU) said Wednesday (July 20) it had formed a special committee to investigate the plagiarism allegations against Taoyuan City mayoral candidate Lin Chih-chien (林智堅).

After Lin resigned his position as mayor of Hsinchu City to accept the Democratic Progressive Party nomination for Taoyuan City in the Nov. 26 elections, accusations surfaced that he plagiarized text and data for two theses, including a master’s thesis written for NTU’s Graduate Institute of National Development.

Lin, 47, has denied the allegations, adding he would take legal action against the Kuomintang (KMT) politicians who publicized the thesis story. However, NTU President Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) announced last week the college would investigate the plagiarism charges.

According to university rules, the investigation should produce results within two months, while those persons involved will have the right to put their case to the committee. All meetings will be confidential, with sessions closed to the public and the media, CNA reported.

The names of the review committee members will also remain secret, though in the end at least two thirds must attend the final meeting, and any confirmation of plagiarism must receive the support of at least two thirds of those present.

Even if there is no such majority, the committee can still announce measures which stop short of a requirement to scrap the master’s degree and demand the return of the official degree document, the report said.