French Professor Investigated for Creating Fake 'International Society' to Award Himself Gold Medal

A bizarre case has emerged from France, where a professor stands accused of fabricating an entire award and the awarding body to boost his own academic prestige. Florent Montaclair, a professor, is currently under investigation for allegedly creating a fictional "International Philology Society" and subsequently awarding himself a gold medal in 2015.

The story, which has garnered attention from international media outlets like the BBC and Le Monde, began when a local newspaper reported Montaclair as a finalist for a "Nobel Prize" in philology. He later claimed to have won the medal, accepting it at a ceremony in Paris in 2016. The narrative further expanded to include him presenting a similar honorary medal to renowned linguist Noam Chomsky, complete with a website for the supposed society that claimed to have been awarding medals since 1967.

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Tämä on niin epätodennäköinen tarina, että se voisi olla elokuvasta.

Prosecutors are scrutinizing the origins of the award, the existence of the "International Philology Society," and even a purported university degree Montaclair listed on his CV. The alleged deception began to unravel in 2019 when Romanian journalists questioned the award given to a Romanian academic. While Montaclair continued his academic work in France, the investigation gained momentum last year, leading to a preliminary inquiry into fraud and the use of forged documents. The professor has since lost his position and teaching rights at the university, highlighting the severe consequences of such academic misconduct.

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Palkinnon keksiminen itsessään ei ole lainvastaista ja Nobeliksi sitä kutsuttiin mediassa.