Fake diploma investigation into Ekrem İmamoğlu: What is the latest status of the investigation?

A new case has been added to the legal proceedings against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Having previously faced legal processes due to various lawsuits, İmamoğlu is now at the center of allegations regarding a fake diploma.

The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) initiated an investigation into İmamoğlu's diploma and sent the report it prepared to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In line with the report, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation on charges of "forgery of an official document." In this context, it has been learned that İmamoğlu will provide a statement at the Çağlayan Courthouse on February 26.

CONTROVERSY GREW AFTER YÖK REPORT

Discussions regarding İmamoğlu's university education are not new. Sözcü newspaper columnist Saygı Öztürk had previously published a detailed report on İmamoğlu's educational background.

According to what Öztürk reported, İmamoğlu enrolled in the Faculty of Business Administration at Girne American University in 1990. One year later, he transferred to Istanbul University. However, according to the allegations, there is no legal basis for this transfer. For this reason, it is claimed that the validity of İmamoğlu's diploma is being questioned.

ALEMDAROĞLU DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS

One of the allegations at the center of the investigation is that university administrators of the period were influential in İmamoğlu's transfer. It was alleged that İmamoğlu's father, Hasan İmamoğlu, was serving as the Trabzon Provincial Chairman of the Motherland Party (ANAP) at the time and had an acquaintance with Prof. Dr. Kemal Alemdaroğlu, who would later serve as rector at Istanbul University.

However, responding directly to the allegations, Kemal Alemdaroğlu stated that he never knew İmamoğlu's father and said the following:

"I have never known Ekrem İmamoğlu's father at any period of my life. It is alleged that he transferred in 1990 and that I was influential in this. However, I had no administrative duties at that time; I was not even a Department Chair. Furthermore, I was an academic opposed to the rector of that period, Prof. Dr. Cem'i Demiroğlu. Therefore, it is impossible for me to have had any influence on the transfer process."

FATHER İMAMOĞLU SPOKE

Responding to the allegations, Ekrem İmamoğlu's father, Hasan İmamoğlu, emphasized that the transfer was a standard process and made the following statements:

"There should not be such a gossip mechanism in Turkey. I don't even know if Kemal Bey was the rector at that time. Neither I knew him, nor did my son Ekrem. At that time, not only my son but about 11 other students transferred to Istanbul University through the same process. This is not a personal privilege. The transfer process took place within the framework of the law. Therefore, my son's diploma is also valid."

''MY ENTIRE PROCESS IS TRANSPARENT''

Ekrem İmamoğlu had previously explained the details regarding his education process with these words:

"I enrolled in Girne American University in 1990 as a student of the Faculty of Business Administration. A year later, my friend and I applied for a transfer to Istanbul University. My application was accepted, and I transferred to the English Business Administration department of the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration. However, I experienced some difficulties regarding course equivalence, and only two of my courses were accepted. I had to retake all the remaining courses. I started my second year with 20 courses and completed them successfully."

Explaining that he played football throughout his university life, İmamoğlu stated that he competed as a goalkeeper on the Istanbul University team and experienced university championships for two consecutive years.

Graduating from Istanbul University in 1994, Ekrem İmamoğlu began a master's degree in Human Resources Management at the Istanbul University Faculty of Social Sciences in 2014. However, he took a break from his education after completing some of his courses.

İmamoğlu continued his education under an amnesty that was issued during his time as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü and completed his master's program in 2017.

HOW WILL THE INVESTIGATION PROCEED?

In the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it is expected that İmamoğlu's transfer process will be examined within the legal framework. While the details of the report prepared by YÖK have not yet been shared with the public, it is stated that the prosecutor's office may expand the investigation in line with this report.

The course of the investigation is expected to become clear after the statement İmamoğlu will provide at the Çağlayan Courthouse on February 26.