21.03.2025 10:41
The examination report regarding the cancellation of the diplomas of Ekrem İmamoğlu and 28 others from Istanbul University has been obtained. The report highlights that students, including İmamoğlu, were registered as Eastern Mediterranean University when applying for a horizontal transfer from the University College of Northern Cyprus. It was noted that some students' names were erased and replaced with new names.
The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the allegations that İmamoğlu's diploma is fake is ongoing.
In this context, the examination report prepared by a three-person committee from Istanbul University (İÜ) upon the request of the prosecutor's office has been obtained.
The report states that during the Management Board meeting of the İÜ Faculty of Business Administration on June 27, 1990, it was decided that 55 students would be allowed to transfer laterally to the second year of the Turkish department (15 students), the third year (10 students), the fourth year (10 students), and to the second year of the English department (10 students), the third year (5 students), and the fourth year (5 students) for the 1990-1991 academic year.
WHO INCREASED THE QUOTA?
The examination report, which includes an announcement published in the Milliyet newspaper on July 30, 1990, noted that there was a quota of 60 students in the announcement, and it could not be determined at which stage and by which authority the quota was increased.
The report also stated that despite the announcement of a lateral transfer quota of 60 students, the number mentioned in the newspaper advertisement was increased to 80 students by the decision of the Faculty of Business Administration Management Board on September 12, without considering the final application deadline of September 14, 1990.
In this context, it was noted in the report that the previously determined quota of 10 students for the second year of the English Business program was raised to 48, while the quotas allocated for the third and fourth years were reduced to zero, and the quotas for the Turkish Business program were changed to a total of 18 for the second year (2 of which are abroad), 8 for the third year, and 6 for the fourth year.
"IT WAS NOT UNDERSTOOD HOW MANY STUDENTS APPLIED FOR TRANSFER"
The report stated that it was decided to accept students transferring from both domestic and international institutions and their names were listed, but it was noted that "it was not understood how many students applied for lateral transfer to both programs, and if there were any rejections, the reasons for the rejections could not be understood from the decisions."
NAMES WERE CROSSED OUT AND CHANGED
The report mentioned that some suspicious transactions were detected in the decisions of the İÜ Faculty of Business Administration Management Board regarding lateral transfer procedures, and included the following statements:
"In the decision of the İÜ Faculty of Business Administration Management Board dated September 12, 1990, and numbered 24, regarding the acceptance of foreign applications, it was observed that the names of students Alper Tunga and Hakan Başaran were typed on the same line using different fonts and sizes by crossing out other names, and the name of student Yelda Eryaman was added to the end of the list using a different font. The reason for this addition, which is thought to have been made later, could not be understood. The students whose names were crossed out in the minutes (Mehmet Gedik, Orhan Cem Boyvadaoğlu) were identified from the decision copy of the İÜ Faculty of Business Administration Management Board meeting minutes bearing the 'true copy' stamp."
The report stated that in the meeting minutes of the İÜ Faculty of Business Administration Management Board dated September 19, 1990, and numbered 25, only three of the seven board members, namely the dean of the period Prof. Dr. Fuat Çelebioğlu, Prof. Dr. Hayri Ülgen, and Prof. Dr. İlhan Erdoğan, had signed, while the other four members had their signatures on the attendance list but not on the board decision.
It was also stated in the report that according to the decision of the mentioned board, the quota was increased by 20 students, and it was observed that it was raised to 100 students without any announcement and without informing the Rectorate. It was noted that "no data was found indicating that the students' lateral transfer procedures were carried out in accordance with Article 4 of the Regulation on Lateral Transfers Between Higher Education Institutions at the Associate and Bachelor's Degree Levels."
The examination report indicated that despite not meeting the conditions specified in the mentioned regulation, a large number of applications were accepted, and some findings related to suspicious transactions regarding the transfer processes of individuals whose diplomas were canceled were included.
"STUDENTS WHO DID NOT MEET THE CONDITIONS TRANSFERRED"
It was stated that despite the requirement set by Prof. Dr. Naciye Aylin Ataay Saybaşılı, a faculty member of the Business Department at Galatasaray University, to have studied for at least one year (two semesters) excluding the foreign language preparatory class, a student transferred laterally from Eastern Mediterranean University without meeting the total credit requirement of 30 credits over two semesters, having only taken a total of 21 credits.
It was recorded that Ulaş Cenk Pehlivan, one of those whose diploma was canceled, transferred by taking a total of 18 credits from the University College of Northern Cyprus.
It was reported that Metin Burak Ülkeroğlu did not take any courses from the first-year curriculum at the institution he transferred to, took courses from the second, third, and fourth years, and failed one course, while Ayşegül Alan's transfer application was accepted despite having only studied for one semester and having a failed course.
THE NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY WAS CHANGED
The report made the following evaluations regarding the lateral transfer procedures:
"In the evaluation of applications, a large number of erroneous transactions were detected regarding both the higher education institutions to which applications would be accepted and the students whose applications would be evaluated. The phrase 'higher education institutions implementing equivalent educational programs' in Article 2 of the Regulation on Lateral Transfers Between Higher Education Institutions at the Associate and Bachelor's Degree Levels was misinterpreted, and all applications from institutions were processed without any official investigation regarding the equivalence of the higher education institution status and the incoming program. No opinion was sought from the institution that would provide binding opinions (YÖK) on this matter.
Although only Eastern Mediterranean University was declared recognized by YÖK among the educational institutions established in the TRNC, all lateral transfer requests from institutions were evaluated by the İÜ Faculty of Business Administration in the lateral transfers made in 1990. Additionally, it was understood from the documents in the student files that students who were understood to be from the University College of Northern Cyprus, namely Ulaş Cenk Pehlivan, İsmail Doğan Yıldırım, Orhan Kuray, Mehmet Hanedar, Ahmet Selim Güsar, İsa Fatih Şabaz, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Uğur Üstün, and Selçuk Kızıltaş, were falsely registered as students of Eastern Mediterranean University in the student registry while their university lateral transfer records were being made."
In the application petitions of candidate students, it was noted that they did not specify which quota they were applying for and which class they wanted to continue from, and it was reported that there was no document indicating that any language proficiency test or qualification exam was conducted for the students whose applications for lateral transfer to the English Business Program from abroad were accepted.
CANDIDATES REFERENCED THE RECTOR, DEAN, AND COMMISSION MEMBERS
The examination report indicated that it was determined that candidates applying for lateral transfer from abroad referenced individuals involved in the process, such as the rector, dean, board members, faculty secretary, and lateral transfer commission members.
```html
In the report, it was noted that the relevant regulation was reminded, and it was indicated that Necati Eren Güredin, a student who wanted to transfer horizontally to the Faculty of Business at Istanbul University, had requested permission from his father, Vice Dean Prof. Dr. Ersin Güredin, who is employed there, to travel to the TRNC without allowances and daily wages, and that he was considered on academic leave with the acceptance of this request.
In the report, it was stated that Güredin was granted the right to transfer by attributing his father's return from the TRNC, where he went on academic leave, as a return to his duty at Istanbul University, and it was explained that instead of graduating from the University College of Northern Cyprus, he was falsely registered in the student registry as a student of Eastern Mediterranean University.
In the conclusion and evaluation section of the report, the following was recorded:
"It has been concluded that the officials who signed the transactions related to the increase in quotas, including the Dean of the Faculty for the term, Prof. Dr. Fuat Çelebioğlu, and the members of the Board of Directors, Prof. Dr. Hayri Ülgen, Prof. Dr. İlhan Erdoğan, Prof. Dr. Çetin Şanlı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İhsan Ersan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Göksel Yücel, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Fulya Sarvan, have legal responsibilities for incorrectly duplicating the minutes of the Board of Directors, which increased the quota numbers for the English Business program, by the Faculty Secretary Nabi Yücel. It has also been concluded that the members of the Horizontal Transfer Commission, Prof. Dr. Ersin Güredin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İhsan Ersan, and Lecturer Dr. Serdar Küçükberksun, as well as the chairman and members of the Board of Directors, and those who signed the horizontal transfer adaptation transactions, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Göksel Yücel, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Paksoy, and Lecturer Dr. İ. Serdar Küçükbersun, have legal responsibilities regarding the acceptance transactions deemed contrary to the conditions specified in the Horizontal Transfer Regulation."
The report pointed out that all students who applied for horizontal transfer from the University College of Northern Cyprus, which was not recognized at that time by the Council of Higher Education, were registered as students of Eastern Mediterranean University in their student registries, and it was noted that this erroneous application being made for all students created the impression that the incident was not done by mistake.
1987-1992 WILL BE INVESTIGATED
In the report, it was stated, "While investigating horizontal transfers to the English Business program from abroad in 1990, it was observed that there were similar horizontal transfer admissions in the student registries between the years 1987-1992. Therefore, it would be appropriate to examine the horizontal transfer transactions in other faculties of our university as well. It would be appropriate to conduct transactions by researching the equivalences of the educational institutions from which all students who transferred horizontally to the Faculty of Business at Istanbul University in 1990 came."
DIPLOMA INVESTIGATION
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation for the crime of "forgery in official documents" based on reports claiming that the bachelor's diploma of İBB President Ekrem İmamoğlu was fake and findings regarding the falsity of his diploma in the report prepared by the Council of Higher Education.
İmamoğlu had given a statement to the prosecutor's office within the scope of the investigation.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, in a letter sent to Istanbul University regarding the investigation opened against İmamoğlu for the claim that his university diploma was fake, requested that the necessary transactions be carried out as soon as possible to ensure that the transactions to be established based on İmamoğlu's diploma are not contrary to the law.
In a later statement made by Istanbul University, it was noted that a decision was made to revoke the diplomas of 28 individuals, including İBB President İmamoğlu, on the grounds of "absence" and "clear error."
.
```