March 07, (THEWILL)- A forensic expert and witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bamaiyi Haruna Mairiga, has admitted before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, that he did not carry out any forensic examination on the signature of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on purported documents allegedly directing the withdrawal of $6,230,000 from the vault of the apex bank for payment of foreign election observers.
THEWILL reports that Emefiele is being prosecuted on a 20-count amended charge, filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
According to the amended charge, Emefiele is being accused of forging a document titled: “Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions”.
The former apex bank chief was alleged to have obtained by false pretence, $6,230,000.00 by falsely representing that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), requested the CBN to provide a contingent logistic advance of $6,230,000 “in line with Mr President’s directive.”
However, at the resumed trial of Emefiele on Thursday, Mairiga, an EFCC witness, presented the report of the Forensic Document Examination (FDE) carried out on the signatures of Former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
Mairiga informed the court that the signatures of Buhari and Mustapha were forged in two separate letters used to facilitate the withdrawal of the $6.2 million from the CBN.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness stated that he analysed documents carrying the “disputed signature” and the “specimen signature”, to identify individual characteristics present or absent in each of the signatures.
“Signatures were compared to establish similarities or dissimilarities. To verify the entire process data analysis was carried out using other methodologies as well as a peer review of the report and analysis by another expert, to validate it in terms of reproducibility.
“Conclusion from the analysis revealed that the disputed document showed evidence of forgery and copying as the same movement in formation and the skill of execution were found to be different from that of the specimen signature.
“This is a confirmation that the author of the specimen signature marked B -B1, did not write the signature of Muhammadu Buhari on the disputed document marked X”, Mairiga told the court; adding that findings on the document relating to Mustapha also showed that he did not sign the disputed document.
However, under cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), Mairiga said his forensic examination was limited to only Buhari and Mustapha, adding that he did not carry out a forensic examination of Emefiele’s signature because the EFCC did not submit it to him.
When asked if he knew the defendant, Mairiga, who responded that he only reads about Emefiele in the media and that his job is limited to the analysis of documents given to him, said he did not know why the defendant was standing trial. He admitted that he only analysed Buhari and Mustapha’s signatures.
Meairiga also admitted that the request for the forensic document examination was made by the EFCC.
Burkaa, however, expressed displeasure over the conduct of the witness, accusing Mairiga of misleading the court by evading questions; a claim the Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, swiftly objected to.
At the end of his evidence, Mairiga went ahead to tender the said documents used in the forensic analysis which were admitted by the court as exhibits.
Subsequently, the judge adjourned to March 13, for the continuation of trial.
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