Erhürman: Imamoğlu Diploma Annulment Legally Invalid

Speaking during a meeting in Nicosia with a group of journalists from Turkey, including ANKA News Agency Erhürman expressed concern that the issue has not only legal ramifications but also broader reputational and economic consequences for the higher education sector in Northern Cyprus.

“We’ve never taken the view that this diploma issue should be downplayed because it might harm us economically,” Erhürman said. “On the contrary, we believed it should escalate if necessary so the university sector can rid itself of this infection. This damages our honour, our reputation, and our economy. That is our primary concern.”

Erhürman criticised the public discourse in Turkey, which has drawn Northern Cyprus into the controversy over İmamoğlu’s credentials.

“The eruption of the Ekrem İmamoğlu case and the fact that it's being discussed in Turkey through the lens of a university in Northern Cyprus is not something we ever wanted. It may have further tarnished our image in Turkey. I don’t know how it's being perceived, but the fact that university transfers and diplomas in Cyprus are repeatedly debated in Turkey is troubling. İmamoğlu is a nationally known figure, and his name being involved again in this context does nothing to help our image.”

A legal scholar specialising in administrative law, Erhürman argued that the decision to revoke İmamoğlu’s diploma is not legally valid.

“In administrative law, what they’re calling a diploma annulment is actually a revocation. Unless fraud is involved or the act is null and void, such revocations must occur within 60 days. The same applies to annulment lawsuits—they must be filed within 60 days of notification of the administrative act,” he explained. “You cannot revoke a diploma 35 years later unless it is null and void from the start. I haven’t heard any legal experts in Turkey say otherwise. In my view, the procedure is not legally valid. A lawsuit has already been filed, and we’ll see how the court rules.”