A Turkish university on Tuesday ruled that Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu falsely obtained his university degree.
Istanbul University said the degrees of 28 graduates including Imamoğlu, a presidential hopeful, "will be withdrawn and cancelled on the grounds of obvious error", it said on X.
Imamoğlu testified on March 5 after the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul launched an investigation into allegations of forgery in his diploma upon tip-offs and a subsequent report by the higher education authority.
Though his lawyers insisted on the authenticity of Imamoğlu’s 1995 diploma, investigators questioned how he could transfer to the prestigious institution from a private university not recognized by the Turkish education authority in the year he was transferred.
The ruling could deprive him of the chance to run for president, who is required to have a university diploma, though he can keep his job as mayor.
Imamoğlu, who is in his second term as mayor of Türkiye's largest city, is likely to fight the decision in court.
The mayor is the only candidate in a primary of his Republican People’s Party (CHP) to pick a name to run in what they hoped would be an early election to oust the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its chair, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The mayor, already embattled with several lawsuits from insults to corruption of public officials, told the investigators that he enrolled in Turkish Cypriot university’s business administration department in 1988, and one year later, he found out about “others transferring to universities in Türkiye."
"In 1990, I followed the transfer procedure and applied (for transfer to Istanbul University,” the mayor said in his statement to prosecutors.
When asked whether Necmettin Karaduman, a former Parliament speaker and an influential political figure of his time, played a role in his transfer, Imamoğlu said Karaduman was merely a friend of the family.
