Istanbul University's 'Imamoglu diploma' investigation report obtained: It had been cancelled

The investigation report prepared by Istanbul University regarding the cancellation of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's diploma has been obtained. In this context, the investigation report prepared by a three-person committee from Istanbul University at the request of the prosecutor's office has come to light.

The report states that for the lateral transfers made in 1990, the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration Board of Directors meeting dated June 27, 1990, decided to allow 55 students to transfer for the 1990-1991 academic year: 15 to the second year, 10 to the third year, and 10 to the fourth year of the Turkish program, and 10 to the second year, 5 to the third year, and 5 to the fourth year of the English program.

The investigation report, which includes the advertisement published in the Milliyet newspaper on July 30, 1990, regarding the subject, noted that the advertisement stated there was a quota for 60 students, but it could not be determined at what stage or by which authority this quota was increased.

The report stated that although a lateral transfer quota of 60 students was announced according to the aforementioned advertisement, the number was increased to 80 students by a decision of the Faculty of Business Administration Board of Directors on September 12, disregarding the final application date of September 14, 1990.

In this context, the report noted that the quota previously set at 10 for the second year of the English Business Administration program was increased to 48, the quotas allocated for the third and fourth years were reduced to zero, and the quotas for the Turkish Business Administration program were changed to a total of 18 for the second year (2 from abroad), 8 for the third year, and 6 for the fourth year.

"IT COULD NOT BE UNDERSTOOD HOW MANY STUDENTS THERE WERE"

The report stated that decisions were made to accept students transferring from within the country and abroad and that their names were listed, adding, "However, it could not be understood from the decisions how many students applied for lateral transfer to either program, or if any were rejected, on what grounds they were rejected."

The report, which conveyed that some suspicious transactions were detected in the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration Board of Directors' decisions regarding lateral transfer procedures, included the following statements:

"In the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration Board of Directors decision dated September 12, 1990, and numbered 24, which is the subject of the investigation, it was observed that the names of students Alper Tunga and Hakan Başaran were typed on the same line using a different font and size, with other names erased, and that the student named Yelda Eryaman was added to the end of the list using a typewriter with a different font size. The reason for this addition, which is believed to have been made later, could not be understood. The students whose names were erased in the minutes (Mehmet Gedik, Orhan Cem Boyvadaoğlu) were identified from the copy of the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration Board of Directors meeting minutes, which bears a 'certified true copy' stamp."

The report stated that in the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration Board of Directors meeting minutes dated September 19, 1990, and numbered 25, only three of the seven board members—the then-dean Prof. Dr. Fuat Çelebioğlu, Prof. Dr. Hayri Ülgen, and Prof. Dr. İlhan Erdoğan—had signed, while the other four members, although present on the attendance sheet, did not sign the board decision.

The report further stated that, in line with the board's decision, the quota was increased by 20, and it was observed that it was raised to 100 without any public announcement or notification to the Rector's office. It was noted that 'no data could be reached indicating that the students' lateral transfer procedures were ranked by success in accordance with Article 4 of the Regulation on Lateral Transfers at the Associate and Undergraduate Level Between Higher Education Institutions.'

The investigation report stated that many applications were accepted despite not meeting the conditions listed in the relevant regulation, and included certain findings regarding suspicious transactions related to the transfer processes of individuals whose diplomas were cancelled.

"STUDENTS WHO DID NOT MEET THE CONDITIONS TRANSFERRED"

It was stated that Galatasaray University Faculty of Business Administration faculty member Prof. Dr. Naciye Aylin Ataay Saybasili, despite the requirement of 'having studied for at least one year (two semesters), excluding the foreign language preparatory class' in accordance with the relevant regulation, transferred laterally after taking a total of 21 credits at Eastern Mediterranean University, failing to meet the requirement of 30 credits over two semesters.

It was noted that Ulaş Cenk Pehlivan, one of those whose diploma was cancelled, similarly transferred from the University College of Northern Cyprus after taking a total of 18 credits of courses.

Information was provided that Metin Burak Ulkeroglu did not take any courses from the first-year curriculum at the institution he transferred to, instead taking courses from the second, third, and fourth years and failing one course, and that Aysegul Alan's transfer application was accepted despite her having studied for only one semester and having a failed course.

In the report, the following assessments were made regarding the lateral transfer procedures:

"In the evaluation of applications, numerous erroneous procedures were identified, both regarding the higher education institutions from which applications were accepted and the students whose applications were evaluated. The phrase 'higher education institutions implementing equivalent education programs' in Article 2 of the Regulation on Lateral Transfers at Associate and Undergraduate Levels Among Higher Education Institutions was misinterpreted, and all applications from institutions were processed without any official research regarding the status of the higher education institution or the equivalence of the incoming program. The institution that would provide a binding opinion on this matter (YOK) was not consulted."

Although only the Eastern Mediterranean University was declared by YOK as a recognized educational institution established in the TRNC, the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration took into consideration lateral transfer requests from all institutions during the transfers made in 1990. Furthermore, it was determined from documents in student files that students understood to be from the institution named University College of Northern Cyprus—namely Ulaş Cenk Pehlivan, İsmail Doğan Yıldırım, Orhan Kuray, Mehmet Hanedar, Ahmet Selim Güsar, İsa Fatih Şabaz, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Uğur Üstün, and Selçuk Kızıltaş—were registered in the student registry book as students of the Eastern Mediterranean University in a manner contrary to the facts during their university lateral transfer registration."

The report noted that the candidate students did not specify in their application petitions which quota mentioned in the announcement they were applying for or which year they wished to continue from, and it was reported that no document could be found indicating that any language proficiency test or qualification exam was administered to students whose lateral transfer applications to the English Business Administration Program from abroad were accepted.

The investigation report stated that it was determined that candidates applying for lateral transfer from abroad listed individuals involved in the process—such as the rector, dean, board members, faculty secretary, and members of the lateral transfer commission—as references.

The report, recalling the relevant regulation, pointed out that the father of student Necati Eren Güredin, Deputy Dean Prof. Dr. Ersin Güredin, who worked at the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration where the student wished to transfer, requested leave without travel allowance or per diem to make contacts in the TRNC, and that his request was accepted, counting him as being on academic leave.

The report stated that Guredin was allowed to benefit from the transfer right by attributing the return of his father, Prof. Dr. Ersin Güredin, from the TRNC—where he had gone on academic leave—as a return to his duties at Istanbul University, and it was explained that instead of the University College of Northern Cyprus from which Guredin graduated, he was registered in the student registry book as a student of the Eastern Mediterranean University in a manner contrary to the facts.

The following was recorded in the conclusion and evaluation section of the report:

It was concluded that the officials who signed the procedures regarding the quota increase—the then-Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Fuat Çelebioğlu, Board of Directors members Prof. Dr. Hayri Ülgen, Prof. Dr. İlhan Erdoğan, Prof. Dr. Çetin Şanlı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İhsan Ersan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Göksel Yücel, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Fulya Sarvan—as well as Faculty Secretary Nabi Yucel, who increased the English Business Administration quota numbers by incorrectly duplicating the Board of Directors' meeting minutes, bear legal responsibility. It was also concluded that the members of the Lateral Transfer Commission—Prof. Dr. Ersin Güredin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İhsan Ersan, and Lecturer Dr. Serdar Kucukberksun—as well as the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Göksel Yücel, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Paksoy, and Lecturer Dr. I. Serdar Kucukbersun, who signed the lateral transfer adaptation procedures, bear legal responsibility regarding the admission procedures that were contrary to the conditions set forth in the Lateral Transfer Regulation.

The report pointed out that all students who applied for lateral transfer from the University College of Northern Cyprus, which was not recognized by the Council of Higher Education at the time, were recorded in the student registry books as having come from Eastern Mediterranean University, noting that the fact that this erroneous practice was applied to all students created the impression that the incident was not a clerical error.

The report stated: "While investigating lateral transfers from abroad to the 1990 English Business Administration program, it was observed that there were similar lateral transfer admissions between 1987 and 1992 in the student registry books. Therefore, it would be appropriate to examine the lateral transfer procedures in other faculties of our university as well. It would be appropriate to conduct an investigation by researching the equivalency of the educational institutions from which all students who transferred to the IU Faculty of Business Administration in 1990 originated."

INVESTIGATION

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation into the crime of "forgery of official documents" following reports that IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu's undergraduate diploma was fake and findings regarding the invalidity of his diploma in a report prepared by the Council of Higher Education.

Imamoglu had provided a statement to the prosecutor's office as part of the investigation.

In a letter sent to Istanbul University as part of the investigation opened against Imamoglu for "forgery of official documents" on the grounds that his university diploma was fake, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested that necessary actions be taken as soon as possible to ensure that any work or procedures based on Imamoglu's diploma would not be unlawful.

In a statement made later by Istanbul University, it was noted that a decision had been made to cancel the diplomas of 28 people, including IMM President Imamoglu, by revoking them on the grounds of "non-existence" and "obvious error."

News Source: AA