TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chung Hua University announced Wednesday (Aug. 24) it was rescinding former Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-chien’s (林智堅) master’s degree due to plagiarism.

Lin withdrew from the race for mayor of Taoyuan City on Aug. 12 after National Taiwan University (NTU) said it had found evidence of plagiarism in his master’s degree for its Graduate Institute of National Development.

A review committee at Chung Hua University in Hsinchu City said it had found serious evidence of plagiarism in Lin’s 2008 master’s thesis, UDN reported. Since the case was grave, the committee said it recommended the politician’s degree should be revoked.

The case was brought by Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), a Kuomintang (KMT) member of the Taipei City Council. She said Lin’s thesis showed a number of similarities with a report by the Hsinchu Science Park Administration that was finalized a month earlier.

Chung Hua University said it was sending the results of its investigation by mail to both Lin and Wang before issuing a news release.

After Lin withdrew from the race for the Nov. 26 elections, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced it was nominating legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), 49, as its new candidate for mayor of Taoyuan City. Lin defended his innocence, saying he would concentrate on appealing the NTU decision.