An investigation has been launched in Turkey into Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu over allegations that paperwork associated to his switch from a college in northern Cyprus to 1 in Turkey had been solid.
Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor’s workplace had initially introduced that Imamoglu had till Wednesday to provide a press release over the alleged forgery of paperwork. Nevertheless, Imamoglu stated he was unable to take action on account of his “public duties”, and can as an alternative testify per week in a while March 5.
Imamoglu was born and raised close to the Black Sea metropolis of Trabzon and moved to Cyprus in 1988. He spent two years on the island, finding out first at Famagusta’s Japanese Mediterranean College, after which at Kyrenia’s Girne American College.
After two years on the island, he transferred to Istanbul College, ultimately graduating with a level in enterprise administration in 1994.
It’s alleged that Imamoglu’s father Hasan Imamoglu, who was on the time the Trabzon province chairman of Turkish political get together the Anavatan Occasion, had conspired with Kemal Alemdaroglu, who turned Istanbul College rector in 1997, to forge paperwork and permit his son to switch from Kyrenia to Istanbul.
Hasan Imamoglu and Alemdaroglu each deny this, with each having given statements to Turkish newspaper Sozcu over the weekend.
Imamoglu senior advised the newspaper the allegations amounted to “gossip”.
“I don’t know if Kemal was the rector on the time, however neither I nor Ekrem had been in touch with him. My son was not the one one who transferred. At the moment, I feel there have been about 11 different individuals from the identical college who transferred inside per week or 10 days. These transfers aren’t private, nor had been they unlawful,” he stated.
Alemdaroglu stated he has “by no means met Ekrem Imamoglu’s father in my life”, and stated he had “no administrative duties” at Istanbul College in 1990.
“I turned rector years after the switch, on December 31, 1997. Equivalence points pertaining to universities in international international locations are totally the duty of [Turkey’s higher education council] Yok, and universities haven’t any authorities on this matter.
“For my part, a plot is being ready towards Ekrem Imamoglu in each means. In different phrases, they’re making an attempt to sideline Imamoglu. They’re making an attempt to put on Imamoglu down,” he stated.’
Ekrem Imamoglu himself had final 12 months spoken concerning the switch, saying that solely two of the programs he had taken on the Girne American College had been accepted, and that he subsequently needed to start his diploma in enterprise administration in Istanbul “from scratch”.
Imamoglu’s get together CHP chief Ozgur Ozel additionally commented on the matter throughout a go to to jap Turkish metropolis Erzincan on the weekend, swiftly turning his weapons on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“It means they’ve sunk to this. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s diploma has been spoken about for 23 years, they usually have been speaking and speaking. He can not discover a buddy from college, they usually discuss that. Nobody remembers him they usually discuss that,” he stated.
He then made reference to former CHP politician Aydin Ayaydin, who stated he had studied along with Erdogan at Istanbul’s Marmara College, earlier than then being named as Erdogan’s AK Occasion’s candidate within the Aegean metropolis of Mugla final 12 months.
“Even when there’s an opposition MP, he remembers him alone, he says it, after which it’s seen that he goes and modifications events, and he turns into an AK Occasion mayoral candidate, and so forth … He was the one one from that faculty who may keep in mind this.
“He was a CHP MP, we stated, oh my god! Then, he remembered this, then he modified events, then he turned the AK Occasion’s candidate in Mugla. Other than him, there aren’t any witnesses … About Ekrem Imamoglu, abruptly, they’re taking it significantly and making an attempt to analyze it,” he stated.
The accusations come after Imamoglu had declared his intention to run to be Turkey’s subsequent president, with the CHP set to carry an inner election this 12 months to resolve who its candidate will probably be.
“We’re embarking on a journey with our nation, which deserves to stay humanely, longs for freedom, justice, prosperity and unity. We’re embarking on a journey to make our state democratic and robust, our nation wealthy and peaceable, and our residents equal and free,” he stated in a social media submit on Friday.
Imamoglu is the clear frontrunner to be his get together’s candidate, with Ozel and Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas each having publicly said that they won’t stand.
He has at all times spoken extremely of his time in Cyprus, having as soon as stated, “I spent two years in Cyprus full of great recollections. Cyprus is a superb place and a spot of nice significance in my life.”
As well as, Cyprus has been credited with introducing Imamoglu to social democracy, with Imamoglu himself having been quoted as saying that his time on the island “constituted a turning level in figuring out my political beliefs.”
As soon as again in Turkey, he resided within the district of Beylikduzu within the west of Istanbul, changing into the district’s mayor in 2014.
He then turned Istanbul mayor in 2019, pulling off a shock victory over AK Occasion candidate and former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, earlier than renewing his mandate final 12 months with a crushing victory over his AK Occasion challenger Murat Kurum, because the CHP pulled off landslide victories throughout the nation.
