Istanbul, Turkey – Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has formally refuted allegations regarding the authenticity of his university diploma, presenting official documents to prove the legitimacy of his academic history.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office recently launched an investigation into İmamoğlu on charges of “falsification of an official document”, following persistent rumors questioning the authenticity of his university diploma. The inquiry, widely viewed as politically charged, was initiated just one day after İmamoğlu formally declared his candidacy for the presidency under the Republican People’s Party (CHP). He is scheduled to testify on February 26, as reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
During a press conference at the İBB headquarters in Saraçhane, İmamoğlu’s legal team—lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan and criminal law professor Dr. Adem Sözüer—dismissed the claims as politically motivated.
Higher Education Board Report Challenged
The controversy gained traction after critics pointed to a report from Turkey’s Higher Education Board (YÖK), which questioned whether Girne American University was officially recognized at the time of İmamoğlu’s transfer. Pehlivan refuted these claims, clarifying that while YÖK formally recognized the university in 1991, its campus in Girne (Kyrenia) was not included in the registry until later. However, Pehlivan argued that such recognition standards were introduced years after İmamoğlu’s transfer and could not be applied retroactively.
“The regulation requiring campus recognition was only introduced in 1996, six years after İmamoğlu’s transfer. It is legally invalid to apply this retroactively,” he said.
Legal Team: No Evidence of Wrongdoing
Prof. Dr. Adem Sözüer also emphasized that the investigation lacks a legal basis, asserting that İmamoğlu followed all regulations in his university transfer.
“The first step in examining a case from 1990, 34 years later, is to check the regulations in force at the time. There is no violation of the law in İmamoğlu’s transfer application. He attended classes, passed his exams, and obtained his diploma,” Sözüer stated.
Criticizing the unclear nature of the prosecutor’s investigation, Sözüer pointed out that İmamoğlu was not even informed of specific charges in the summons.
“Even the prosecutors seem unsure if there is a crime here. Normally, when issuing a summons, the law requires authorities to specify the charges. However, since they couldn’t determine a crime, they called him in anyway,” he said.
University Transfer: Public and Legal Process
Lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan presented official documents confirming that İmamoğlu’s transfer was conducted legally.
He explained that İmamoğlu initially enrolled in the English Business Administration Department at Girne American University on September 5, 1988, completing one year of preparatory studies and one year of coursework before applying to transfer.
“Some have claimed that İmamoğlu received special treatment, but that is false. Istanbul University published a public announcement on July 30, 1990, in Milliyet newspaper, inviting students to apply for lateral transfers,” Pehlivan stated.
İmamoğlu met all transfer criteria set by Istanbul University:
- Application Deadline: The deadline was September 14, 1990; İmamoğlu applied on August 29, 1990.
- Academic Standing: Students were required to pass all their courses; İmamoğlu’s transcript confirms he successfully passed all subjects.
- Minimum GPA Requirement: The university required a minimum GPA of 60; İmamoğlu’s GPA was 62.5, proving he exceeded the threshold.
Pehlivan refuted media claims that İmamoğlu’s GPA was below 60:
“Some journalists have falsely claimed İmamoğlu’s GPA was 59, arguing he did not qualify for transfer. However, official transcripts confirm his GPA was 62.5, meaning he fully met the requirements.”
Pehlivan also clarified that Istanbul University did not arbitrarily set these criteria, stating:
“The transfer criteria were established in 1982 by an official government regulation and applied to all universities. No university, including Istanbul University, had the authority to make exceptions.”
University’s Official Approval of İmamoğlu’s Transfer
Pehlivan further revealed that 51 students applied for transfer to Istanbul University’s Business Administration Department in 1990, alongside İmamoğlu. Their applications were reviewed and approved through a formal process:
– Review by the university’s transfer evaluation committee
– Final approval by the university’s administration board
“On September 12, 1990, Istanbul University’s administration officially approved İmamoğlu’s transfer, along with 51 other students,” Pehlivan explained.
Following this approval, İmamoğlu officially enrolled at Istanbul University on October 2, 1990.
Sözüer: “This Is Judicial Harassment”
During the Q&A session, Sözüer criticized the investigation’s political motivations, suggesting it could be an attempt to derail İmamoğlu’s potential presidential candidacy.
“Since 2019, we have seen politically motivated investigations against İmamoğlu, from election disputes to accusations of wrongdoing in city governance.
The prosecutor’s summons does not even specify a crime, and the investigation itself states that İmamoğlu’s application was legal. Despite this, the case is still being pursued, showing that this is about politics, not the law,” he said.
Sözüer also referenced İmamoğlu’s previous conviction in the ‘fool’ case, where a judge was suddenly replaced, and an unprecedentedly harsh sentence was issued for allegedly insulting Turkey’s High Electoral Board.
“These kinds of extraordinary judicial actions are no longer just ‘politically motivated cases’—they are judicial harassment. The law should not be weaponized against political opponents.”
