Two high-profile suspects within the north’s pretend diploma scandal investigation appeared in courtroom in Morphou once more on Thursday.
Investigations are nonetheless centring across the city’s now notorious Cyprus Well being and Social Sciences College (KSTU), with the college’s 30-per-cent shareholder and secretary-general Serdal Gunduz, and Turkish public broadcaster TRT Cyprus journalist Sefa Karahasan, who obtained a doctorate from the college, the pair in courtroom.
Gunduz stands accused of getting ready cast paperwork, placing them into circulation, and inspiring others to do the identical.
Police deputy inspector Namik Kemal Baz mentioned in courtroom that eight individuals who had obtained pretend levels from the college had both gained promotions or pay rises in public sector jobs off the again of their levels.
As well as, he mentioned, Gunduz had “threatened” the college’s vice rector and compelled him to signal diploma certificates which had been obtained via unlawful means.
Gunduz’s lawyer Doga Zeki objected to the police’s request that his consumer stay in custody, with Gunduz having been initially arrested initially of March.
On the time, the courtroom had dominated that Gunduz was a flight threat as he holds residence permits in Greece and Russia, and thus he was held in custody for 2 months.
With these two months up, the identical courtroom has returned the identical verdict, and he’ll now be held behind bars for one more three months pending a trial.
Later, Sefa Karahasan appeared in courtroom for the second time, with the police’s consultant in courtroom saying that his diploma certificates had been signed not by the college’s rector, however by another person.
Karahasan was handed a 100,000TL (€2,883) bail with two guarantors ordered to signal bonds value 750,000TL (€21,619) every.
Karahasan’s arrest was introduced onto the agenda at in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday, with opposition get together CHP deputy chief Gokhan Gunaydin criticising the federal government for appointing Karahasan as TRT’s Cyprus correspondent.
He mentioned, “the diplomas of the folks you appointed to high-ranking positions are pretend. The doctorate of Sefa Karahasan, who you appointed as TRT’s Cyprus correspondent, is pretend. Are you not competent sufficient to nominate a correspondent who’s dependable, doesn’t forge paperwork, and who isn’t a cheat?”
He added, “the pretend diploma case isn’t restricted to this man solely. These of you who’ve held very high-level positions have opened universities and are promoting diplomas at a fee of knots.”
“You give them equivalence right here and individuals are getting levels they don’t deserve in any respect,” he mentioned.
Karahasan graduated from the KSTU with a doctorate in enterprise administration in Could final yr, although the police’s consultant at his first listening to in courtroom on Monday insisted that he “would have graduated in 2025” if the programme had been carried out below regular circumstances.
Karahasan had been employed on the college since 2020, and reportedly instructed the courtroom that as a result of this, he “may have had a level in my hand inside a day” if he wished to.
In response to newspaper Yeni Duzen, police officer Ali Erdelhun instructed the courtroom Karahasan had instructed the police he had “performed all the things along with Serdal Gunduz”.
Information web site Haber Kibris mentioned Erdelhun had added that Karahasan’s grade was “suspicious” on condition that he had “obtained the doctorate with out attending any courses”.
Newspaper Ozgur Gazete mentioned Karahasan “couldn’t keep in mind” the topic of his thesis.
The “pretend diploma scandal” rocked the north’s schooling system within the opening months of the yr, with a number of high-profile figures having been arrested, and lots of extra being accused of complicity.
Revelations centred on the KSTU, the place police discovered that levels have been being handed out to folks inside days or in some circumstances hours of them registering as college students.
In April, Turkey’s larger schooling council (Yok) introduced its intention to organize a report on the state of the north’s schooling system with the scandal unfolding.
The north’s ‘schooling minister’ Nazim Cavusoglu had mentioned throughout a go to to the island by a delegation from Yok that he hopes the north can “flip this downside into a bonus”.
Former ‘schooling minister’ Kemal Durust was one of many many arrested, having allegedly fraudulently obtained 1000’s of euros by sending pretend invoices to the college in query. His spouse, a high-level civil servant, was additionally arrested, accused of getting obtained a pretend diploma.
