Neuroscientist Penkowa cleared of charges in fraud case

She was previously found guilty and handed a nine-month suspended sentence

Lucie Rychla

Sep 8, 2016

The Eastern High Court in Copenhagen has today cleared Milena Penkowa, a former neuroscientist and professor at the University of Copenhagen, bringing to an end a long-standing case of serious document forgery.

Last October, Penkowa was found guilty of using forged laboratory rat experiments in her doctoral thesis and was handed a nine-month suspended sentence by Copenhagen City Court.

However, the neuroscientist appealed to the High Court, which has today dismissed the case, stating that although she had committed fraud, it was not a case of ‘serious forgery’.

“Dismissed!!! This is a victory also for all of you who are still struggling against injustice,” Penkowa wrote on Facebook after hearing the court’s statement.

In 2011, Copenhagen University reported Penkowa to the police and accused her of embezzlement and document fraud concerning experiments carried out on 700 rats in Spain in 2003 and 2004.

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