An indictment was prepared on Friday against former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who was arrested in a corruption investigation and removed from his post following his arrest, for the crime of "serial forgery of official documents," with a request for a prison sentence from two years and six months up to eight years and nine months, on the grounds that his university diploma was fake.
The investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the allegations that Imamoğlu's undergraduate diploma was fake has been completed.
The indictment requested that the documents that Imamoğlu allegedly obtained by fraud be confiscated under Article 54 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The indictment was sent to the Criminal Court of First Instance for evaluation.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the crime of "forgery of official documents" following reports that the undergraduate diploma of Imamoğlu was fake. The findings of the report were prepared by the Higher Education Council regarding the forgery of his diploma. Imamoğlu's statement was taken on March 5 as part of the investigation.
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 mayor, already embattled with several lawsuits from insults to corruption of public officials, told the investigators that he enrolled in the 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.
The politician is also accused of running a criminal organization that profited from rigged tenders and rampant bribery in exchange for building and zoning permits and awarding tenders.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has launched rallies and incited riots after Imamoğlu’s arrest. It claims that Imamoğlu’s arrest is politically motivated, as the party had nominated him for the next presidential election. However, the government argues that the CHP’s claim and pro-Imamoğlu rallies are simply an attempt to cover up the mayor’s alleged wrongdoings, which range from rigging public tenders to taking bribes.
Imamoğlu has denied all allegations in his interrogation, but prosecutors point out a wide array of evidence, from financial irregularities to bribes and money laundering activities. Those include reports from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), technical surveillance data and testimonies from dozens of witnesses.
Meanwhile, 119 suspects of a total of 137 have been transferred to the courthouse within the scope of a corruption case against the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality on the same day.
Among the suspects are former Izmir Mayor Tunç Soyer and CHP Izmir provincial head Şenol Aslanoğlu.
The investigation, which was launched upon the allegation of corruption by subcontractor companies at IZBETON AŞ, a subsidiary of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, is ongoing under the coordination of Necati Kayaközü, the deputy chief public prosecutor responsible for the terrorism and organized crimes and organized crime bureaus of Izmir's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched the investigation on July 1. In this context, detention orders were issued for 157 suspects on charges of "rigging the tender and performance of the obligation" and "aggravated fraud" based on the Court of Accounts report, the property inspector report, and expert reports.
