Doctorate and habilitation at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Professor of Sociology at the University of Mainz since 2011, supervisor of doctoral students for a long time: Marina Hennig's scientific career is not exceptional, but successful.

But it is a career built on violations of good scientific practice.

The science platform VroniPlag Wiki found a significant number of plagiarisms in both qualification papers.

The Humboldt University (HU) then examined the doctoral thesis and withdrew the corresponding degree.

According to Berlin state law, this would also have ended the teaching qualification.

But because of a formal error in the deprivation process, Hennig has now won her appeal process before the Berlin Administrative Court.

She can continue to use her doctoral degree.

The "Spiegel" reported first.

New process could take years

The administrative court informed the FAZ that it had come to the conclusion that the doctoral commission was no longer properly staffed after a member had left due to concerns about bias.

There was therefore no need to comment on the substantive legal question of deception, plagiarism.

The opposition CDU in the state of Berlin is appalled.

The science policy spokesman for the parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, Adrian Grasse, told the FAZ that the procedure should be repeated.

"In general, such review commissions should be made up mostly of external and thus independent experts," he says.

He complains about a lack of transparency and the long duration of the procedure.

In fact, the Berlin administrative court needed about three and a half years to decide on Hennig's lawsuit - and thus far longer than the average of all cases.

One of the reasons for this is the understaffing of the Chamber.

Since a new procedure will again take years, and Hennig can appeal and appeal against it, the 1961-born woman will probably be able to retire as a fully-funded professor in a few years.

She could later be deprived of part of her pension, but she could appeal again.

In the HU, the responsible faculty is now advising on how to proceed in coordination with the Executive Committee.

So far in Germany only five degree withdrawal proceedings after plagiarism have failed in court due to formal errors.

In 2016, a withdrawal notice from the HU did not stand up in court.

CDU man Grasse therefore sees the credibility, trust and reputation of Berlin as a science location damaged.

He also refers to the unsuccessful withdrawal procedure in the plagiarism case Franziska Giffey - for which Freie Universität was responsible.