YÖK report on the "fake diploma" investigation into Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu

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Creation Date: February 25, 2025 12:08

The investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the allegations that İmamoğlu's undergraduate diploma is fake is ongoing.

Within the scope of the investigation, the details of the report prepared by the YÖK and sent to the prosecutor's office were obtained.

The report in question stated that İmamoğlu had received two years of education in the English Programme in Business Management at the University College of Northern Cyprus (UCNC) in Cyprus during his horizontal transfer and that his general grade point average in all courses was 2.50, and the following was recorded:

"It has been understood that the University College of Northern Cyprus, which meets the conditions set out in Article 5 of the Regulation on the principles of horizontal transfer between Higher Education Institutions at associate and undergraduate levels, was not one of the universities recognized by the Council of Higher Education in 1990 when the person in question transferred, the recognition of the university in question was only decided upon by the Higher Education Executive Board in 1993, and UCNC was not among the universities to which horizontal transfer could be made in 1990 when the person in question transferred."

Based on the 1988 and 1992 letters of the Council of Higher Education, it was stated in the report that only Eastern Mediterranean University was recognized among the higher education institutions operating in the TRNC. The following statements were used: "When the correspondence in question is taken into consideration, it is understood that the recognition of higher education institutions in foreign countries is required for horizontal transfer procedures, and therefore, it has been observed that the horizontal transfer procedures from UCNC, which does not have recognition, are not carried out in accordance with the decisions of the Council of Higher Education by the Dean of Istanbul University's Faculty of Business Administration."

The report included information that in the decision numbered 2 of the 22nd meeting of the Board of Directors of Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration dated 27 June 1990, the horizontal transfer quotas were 15 students for the second year of the Department of Business Administration (Turkish), 10 for the third year, and 10 for the fourth year, and 10 for the second year of the Department of Business Administration (English), 5 for the third year, and 5 for the fourth year, making a total of 55 students.

In the announcement of Istanbul University Presidency published in Milliyet newspaper on July 30, 1990, it was conveyed that a total quota of 40 was determined for Business Turkish program and a total of 20 for Business (English) program, with 15 students for second year, 15 for third year, 10 for fourth year and 10 for Business English program for second year, 5 for third year and 5 for fourth year of horizontal transfer to Istanbul University Business Faculty Business Turkish program. It was emphasized in the report that horizontal transfer applications could be made until the end of official working hours on September 14, 1990 at the latest.

The report stated that the total quota of 60 people, which was announced separately for the Business Turkish and Business English programs in the decision of the Board of Directors of Istanbul University's Faculty of Business Administration dated September 12, 1990, was increased by one third to 80 for horizontal transfers from universities in foreign countries.

The report explained that the quotas of the Business English and Business Turkish programs were combined into the Business English program, and that the applications of 51 students who applied for transfer from higher education institutions in foreign countries to the Business English program were accepted in accordance with the decision of the faculty board meeting of the aforementioned faculty dated September 12, 1990, and included the following statements:

"From the documents obtained by the relevant university presidency and sent to us, no legal justification has been found for how the university determined the Business Turkish and Business English horizontal transfer quotas within the scope of the relevant legislation, how the quota transfer and quota increase between the Business Turkish and Business English programs were made, why 51 of the determined quotas were used for the Business English program, why the transfer applications were evaluated and decided upon by the Faculty Board of Directors at its meeting dated September 12, 1990 and numbered 24, before the application deadline, despite the fact that it was stated that the transfer applications would be made by the end of official working hours on Friday, September 14. Based on all these evaluations, it has been concluded that the procedures regarding recognition, horizontal transfer, horizontal transfer quotas, announcement periods and acceptance of horizontal transfers by the Dean of Istanbul University's Faculty of Business Administration were not carried out in accordance with the decisions and procedures of the Council of Higher Education."