French professor Florent Montaclair is probed for allegedly inventing the Gold Medal of Philology, a fake Nobel level award, to boost his career in a suspected gigantic fraud
Florent Montaclair, a professor at Marie and Louis Pasteur University in Besançon, is accused of inventing fake “Gold Medal of Philology” (AI generated image)
A French literature professor is under investigation after allegedly creating a fake international academic award, describing it as the equivalent of a Nobel Prize, and awarding it to himself.
Florent Montaclair, 55, who teaches at the Marie and Louis Pasteur University in Besançon, is accused of inventing the “Gold Medal of Philology”, a prize he claimed to have received in 2016 from the so-called International Society of Philology. French prosecutors have opened an investigation into alleged forgery, fraud and misuse of academic titles.
According to investigators, neither the International Society of Philology nor the award had any recognised academic existence. Authorities said the organisation operated through a “minimalist” website and that Montaclair himself ordered the medal from a French jeweller for about 250 euros.
The award ceremony took place at the French National Assembly in Paris in 2016, where Montaclair received the medal in the presence of politicians and academics. Over the years, he reportedly presented the distinction as one of the highest honours in language studies, comparable to the Nobel Prize or the Fields Medal.
The alleged deception remained unnoticed for years and even reached international academic circles. Reports said linguist Noam Chomsky and several foreign scholars were later presented with the same medal during public ceremonies organised by Montaclair.
Questions over the prize first emerged in 2018 after Romanian journalists investigated claims linked to a Romanian academic who had also received the medal. The controversy resurfaced in France last year after the university alerted prosecutors.
Montaclair has denied wrongdoing and claimed the project was an attempt to create a new scholarly distinction. His lawyer argued that creating an award was not illegal. Prosecutors, however, described the case as a “gigantic fraud” and said the investigation was continuing.A French literature professor is under investigation after allegedly creating a fake international academic award, describing it as the equivalent of a Nobel Prize, and awarding it to himself.
Florent Montaclair, 55, who teaches at the Marie and Louis Pasteur University in Besançon, is accused of inventing the “Gold Medal of Philology”, a prize he claimed to have received in 2016 from the so-called International Society of Philology. French prosecutors have opened an investigation into alleged forgery, fraud and misuse of academic titles.
According to investigators, neither the International Society of Philology nor the award had any recognised academic existence. Authorities said the organisation operated through a “minimalist” website and that Montaclair himself ordered the medal from a French jeweller for about 250 euros.
The award ceremony took place at the French National Assembly in Paris in 2016, where Montaclair received the medal in the presence of politicians and academics. Over the years, he reportedly presented the distinction as one of the highest honours in language studies, comparable to the Nobel Prize or the Fields Medal.
The alleged deception remained unnoticed for years and even reached international academic circles. Reports said linguist Noam Chomsky and several foreign scholars were later presented with the same medal during public ceremonies organised by Montaclair.
Questions over the prize first emerged in 2018 after Romanian journalists investigated claims linked to a Romanian academic who had also received the medal. The controversy resurfaced in France last year after the university alerted prosecutors.
Montaclair has denied wrongdoing and claimed the project was an attempt to create a new scholarly distinction. His lawyer argued that creating an award was not illegal. Prosecutors, however, described the case as a “gigantic fraud” and said the investigation was continuing.
The public prosecutor Paul-Édouard Lallois called it was ““It was all a gigantic hoax. It could be made into a film or television series.”
Lallois told The Guardian that whether Montaclair obtained that promotion and any material gain from an allegedly fake diploma and medal was at the heart of his investigation.
“In his view, the medal is not a forgery. A forgery implies that there is a genuine medal. As the genuine philology medal does not exist, his medal cannot be a forgery,” Lallois said.
“Anyone can create a medal. You can order online the ‘best journalist in France’ medal, in gold, silver or bronze, award it to yourself and hold your own little ceremony quietly at home over drinks,” he added.
Read More
