Istanbul court postpones hearing in İmamoğlu’s diploma case to July 6

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul criminal court on Feb. 16 adjourned the hearing in the case against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu regarding allegations of official document forgery and an invalid university diploma to July 6, despite widespread anticipation that the prosecutor would deliver their final opinion.

İmamoğlu, who has been suspended from his post as mayor, stood trial for the fourth time on charges of “forgery of official documents committed in a chain.”

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 2 years and 6 months to 8 years and 9 months.

İmamoğlu delivered a lengthy defense statement during the proceedings.

In his defense, İmamoğlu strongly rejected the accusations and argued that the proceedings were not truly about a diploma but part of a broader effort to sideline him from politics.

He criticized what he described as violations of the right to a fair trial and the principle of a natural judge, pointing to changes in the presiding judge during earlier hearings.

The case stems from a decision taken by Istanbul University on March 18 last year, when the university’s governing board annulled the undergraduate diplomas of 28 people, including İmamoğlu.

The university argued that in 1990, İmamoğlu had transferred improperly from Girne American University to Istanbul University’s Faculty of Business Administration English-language program.

One day after the diploma annulment, on March 19, İmamoğlu was detained at his home and was formally arrested on March 23.

İmamoğlu currently faces several ongoing investigations in addition to the alleged forgery of his university diploma, including those over the corruption allegations and insulting an expert witness as well as other offenses.