Witness confirms forgery in documents Emefiele used to pay election observers $6.2m

A forensic analyst has confirmed that the documents Godwin Emefiele used to request the payment of $ 6.2 million for foreign election observers were forged.

The analyst revealed this during the trial of the former Governor of the Central Bank (CBN) before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday, March 7, 2024.

The witness, Bamaiyi Meriga, called by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), informed the court that forensic analysis of the documents showed that there was clear evidence of forgery of signature in the documents, adding that the seal of execution was different from the original.

Meriga also confirmed that the signatures were not those of former President Muhammad Buhari and ex-Secretary General of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

During cross-examination of the witness by Emefiele’s counsel, Matthew Burkaa, Meriga said he was neither a staff of the EFCC nor was he paid by the agency to be a witness against the former CBN boss.

The witness added that his salary was domiciled with the Nigeria Immigration Service.

But Burkaa expressed displeasure over Meriga’s conduct, saying the witness misled the court by evading questions.

The trial has been adjourned till March 11 for continuation.