What is known about the investigation into Ekrem İmamoğlu’s diploma?

What is known about the investigation into Ekrem İmamoğlu’s diploma?



Ekrem İmamoğlu, the suspended Mayor of Istanbul, is being investigated for allegedly having a fake university diploma.



The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office turned the investigation into an indictment. The trial will start on September 11 at 1:00 PM in the Istanbul 59th Criminal Court of First Instance.



The prosecutor is asking for 2 years 6 months to 8 years 9 months in prison and a political ban for the crime of forging official documents.



On March 20, Istanbul University canceled İmamoğlu’s diploma.



On March 19, İmamoğlu was detained in a separate corruption and terrorism investigation. On March 23, he was arrested for corruption. But on the same day, he became the only candidate in the CHP primary election and was announced as the party’s presidential candidate.



His lawyers filed a case against the university’s decision to cancel the diploma. A university degree is required to become a presidential candidate, so the result of the case is very important.



What did İmamoğlu say?


On March 15, İmamoğlu said:



“Their only goal is to stop me before the March 23 primary election. They are trying to trap me with false claims. Some people are even talking about putting me in jail. But this is not a banana republic!”
What does the diploma cancellation mean?


According to the Turkish Constitution, a university degree is required to run for president.



If the diploma cancellation becomes official, İmamoğlu cannot be a presidential candidate.

How did the diploma debate start?


People first questioned İmamoğlu’s diploma after he was elected mayor in 2019.



A report to CİMER (Presidency Communication Center) in 2020 claimed that he transferred illegally from Girne American University (GAU) in Northern Cyprus to Istanbul University.



Istanbul University answered: İmamoğlu applied legally and met the rules for transferring.



But in September 2024, another complaint was sent to CİMER. The Prosecutor’s Office sent it to YÖK (Council of Higher Education), and this started a new investigation.



At the time of the transfer, GAU was not recognized by YÖK, so some people say the diploma is fake.



İmamoğlu’s team shared his Istanbul University diploma from 1994 to deny the claims.

When did İmamoğlu transfer?


His lawyers say:

He started at GAU in 1988.

After completing English prep and the first year, he applied to transfer to Istanbul University in 1990.

The university accepted him because his grades were good and the transfer was on time.

He graduated in 1994.

Why was the investigation started?


The Prosecutor’s Office started an investigation on February 22, 2025.



They used a YÖK report from February 17 as evidence. The report says:

İmamoğlu met some conditions.

But GAU was not recognized by YÖK in 1990.

And in 1993, YÖK decided not to accept diplomas from GAU for Turkish students who didn’t take the ÖSYM exam.

What did İmamoğlu’s lawyers say?


Lawyers say:

Not being recognized by YÖK did not matter for transfer in 1990.

They showed examples of students who graduated from GAU in 1991–1992 and got diploma approval.

The law about “recognition” was made in 1996, and it didn’t ban transfers.

In 2010, the law changed and said you can’t transfer from unrecognized universities. But this was after İmamoğlu’s time.

What did the university and prosecutor do?


The prosecutor asked Istanbul University for all records and documents about İmamoğlu’s studies and transfer.


When the university was slow to answer, the prosecutor sent another urgent request.

What legal steps were taken?


İmamoğlu’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against the diploma cancellation in Administrative Court.



If they lose, they can appeal to a higher court and even to the Council of State (Danıştay).

Lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan said:
“This is an unfair process to stop İmamoğlu from running for president. People responsible for this may be guilty of abuse of power or even attackig democrasy”