Three students attending the Cottonera Junior Lyceum allegedly stole copies of mid-year examination papers and then sold them to their classmates, the Education Ministry said yesterday.

The three students are helping the police in their investigation, the Ministry added.

The alleged theft was discovered on Tuesday at around 11am when a form five student attending the Giuseppi Despott Junior Lyceum was caught copying off a piece of paper during a geography exam.

When the school authorities looked into the matter they found that the piece of paper was the actual examination paper the student had obtained before the start of the exam. The education division was notified, and the latter, in turn, informed the police.

Officers from the fraud squad, led by inspector Joseph Cordina, are now investigating the matter.

Three students were identified and questioned. Last night, the police identified another nine students who are believed to have bought a copy of the exam paper from the alleged thieves. The police carried out searches in some of the homes and found copies of the exam paper. These were confiscated.

The Education Ministry said that the matter had also been referred to the national board for discipline in schools.

In the meantime, the three students have been suspended indefinitely and those found in possession of the exam paper have not been allowed to sit for any exams.

A board appointed by Education Minister Louis Galea has been asked to establish whether any responsibility on the part of any public officials could have led to the papers being taken.

Public Exams Board chairman Bastjan Debono will be leading the inquiry.