Hundreds of Turkish Cypriots protest against , ‘govt’
Fact: Hundreds of Turkish Cypriots took to the streets to protest against the north’s ‘government’.
fake diplomas
‘Cut to the bone’ Turkish Cypriots to hold mass protest
30 political parties, trade unions, and other organizations in the north will hold a mass protest on Friday evening. The protestors are gathering to denounce the corruption and lack of democratic values in the Turkish Cypriot leadership.
North opposition figure refused entry to Turkey
Evrim Hincal, the financial secretary of Turkish Cypriot opposition party the TDP, was refused entry to Turkey on Wednesday. He was sent back to Cyprus alongside his wife and his four-year-old daughter after being told he was on Turkey’s N-82 list.
Fake diplomas scandal in north spreads to military
The Turkish Cypriot community is facing a scandal involving fake university diplomas and corruption, which has now affected the security forces’ command. Lieutenant Colonel Özgür Alp was remanded in custody for using a fake diploma for promotion within the Turkish military. The fake diploma was claimed to be from the Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University in Morphou. A high-ranking police officer, Serif Avcil, was also arrested over a fake diploma. This scandal is part of larger issues involving the KSTU university in Morphou, with allegations of embezzlement and fraud through fake student registrations and diplomas. The university is owned by Levent Uysal, a deputy in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Celebi Ilik, involved in the scandal, used fake diplomas for civil service promotions and is facing charges related to forgery. Uysal attempted to obtain a €45 million loan from Swiss IntaCapital bank with fake documents in 2022 but avoided judicial proceedings by getting elected to parliament in May 2023. Turgay Avci, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot higher education watchdog Yodak, is under investigation for possibly having a fake diploma. There are also allegations against Dunya Baris Universitesi for operating illegally and investigations into irregularities in a real estate purchase by Altinbas Holding. Ali Altınbaş and Sofu Altınbaş were detained in September 2020 for involvement in a fuel profiteering network and accused of establishing a criminal organisation, aggravated fraud, and forgery.
North rules out amnesty for fake diplomas
Nazim Cavusoglu, the ‘education minister’ of the north, announced on Tuesday that there will be no amnesty for individuals who obtained fake diplomas without using them. He emphasized that his ministry does not support those who have committed wrongdoings and is against making any concessions in this matter. Both the government and opposition agree on the need to eliminate dishonest practices in the higher education sector. The ministry is also considering transferring fake diplomas to the police for forgery prosecutions. Opposition party CTP MP Sila Usar Incirli criticized the higher education accreditation authority (Yodak) for its inability to effectively oversee higher education and stressed the urgency of addressing the issues within the north’s higher education system, highlighting their significant impact on the country.
Eyes on , ‘MP’ in north’s fake diploma scandal
The scandal involving “fake diplomas” in the north’s education sector continues to unfold, focusing on UBP MP Emrah Yesilirmak and the authenticity of his business administration degree from Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU). MPs in the north have immunity from criminal proceedings with certain exceptions, but this does not prevent investigations. The Cyprus Massachusetts Centre of Innovation is linked to a criminal network involving forged student visas, leading to several arrests. The north’s higher education accreditation authority (Yodak)’s deputy chairman, Hasan Amca, takes charge amid criminal proceedings against its chairman, Turgay Avci, and former board member Mehmet Hasguler, both arrested for accepting under-the-table payments during KSTU’s accreditation process. Senior judge Gokhan Asafogullari is investigating Avci’s conduct.