- Forensic analyst confirms forgery of documents in Emefiele trial, revealing inconsistencies in signatures and seals, not matching Buhari and Mustapha
- Documents admitted as evidence; defense counsel questions analyst’s conduct, while prosecution criticizes defense in Emefiele trial proceedings
During the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, a forensic analyst, Bamaiyi Meriga, confirmed the forgery of documents used to request a $6.2 million payment for foreign election observers.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) called Meriga as a witness. He revealed that upon forensic analysis, the disputed documents showed clear signs of forgery, including discrepancies in signatures and seals of execution that differed from the originals. Notably, the signatures were found not to belong to former President Muhammadu Buhari and ex-Secretary General of the Federation Boss Mustapha.
Justice Muazu admitted the two documents, titled “Presidential Directive on Foreign Observer Election,” as evidence in the trial.
During cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Matthew Burkaa, Meriga clarified that he was not an EFCC staff and was not paid by the anti-graft agency; instead, his salary was handled by the Nigeria Immigration Service.
Burkaa expressed dissatisfaction with Meriga’s conduct, alleging evasion of questions. In response, Prosecution Counsel Rotimi Oyedepo criticized the defense counsel.
The trial adjourned until March 11 for further proceedings.