Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended by university

An academic who accused the late Cambridge University professor Jason Arday of plagiarism has been suspended from his position at a Belgian higher learning institution.

Nathan Cofnas, who served as a research fellow at the Higher Institute of Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, confirmation of his suspension follows public claims he made online regarding work published by the late scholar.

The suspension came after Cofnas publicly asserted that parts of Arday’s academic work contained plagiarized material, which prompted immediate review by institutional authorities.

The university confirmed that an internal investigation is currently underway to assess whether the claims and subsequent public statements breached professional ethics standards.

Cofnas stated that he is currently being investigated for allegedly discriminating against the late professor, who was appointed as one of the youngest Black professors at the University of Cambridge before his death.

The university has not released a final timeline regarding when the inquiry will conclude, but it confirmed that Cofnas remains relieved of his teaching and research duties pending the outcome of the formal disciplinary proceedings.