BERLIN, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Germany's conservative defense minister has been stripped of his academic doctorate degree because his thesis contained plagiarisms, officials said.
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told the German Parliament Wednesday he made "serious errors" in his doctoral work, the British newspaper The Guardian reported.
"I did not deliberately cheat, but made serious errors," Guttenberg told the Bundestag.
Guttenberg said he was overwhelmed by his workload while starting a family and political career at the same time. He said he was "arrogant" for thinking he could get away with academic dishonesty.
The University of Bayreuth has revoked Guttenberg's doctorate and he can no longer use "Dr." in his name.
Guttenberg, 39, was recently named Germany's most popular politician in a poll, overtaking Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Some people have called Guttenberg "Googleberg." He initially called the plagiarism charges "fanciful". UPI
