A Forensic Document Examiner with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bamairiga Haruna, has told a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, that Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) only worth of traveller’s cheque found in possession of a businessman, Mark Obisesan was a counterfeit.
This was in evidence lay bare before the court by Haruna, a forensic expert in document analysis at the resumption of the trial of Obisesan and others.
Obisesan was re-arraigned alongside Olumide Mcintosh, Bolaji Bakare and Goodluck Bazunu before Justice Solebo over alleged conspiracy and forging of United States traveller’s cheque.
According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants and one Josiah Ntekume , who is at large, sometime in 2018 purchased and received forged United States Dollar traveller’s cheque no GA 908-981-567
However, all the defendants pleaded not guilty to the eleven count charges levelled against them.
Led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Nkereuwem Anana, the forensic expert stated that upon careful observation of the said sum in the traveller’s cheque, it was observed that the document lacks the statutory security features of a cheque.
The witness explained that the traveller’s cheque was analysed with a handheld magnifier, a laker microscope, video comparator 8000 and ultraviolet light.
He stated that upon completion of the analysis of the traveller’s cheque, all his findings were compiled in a report and forwarded to the head of the operation for further investigation.
He further told the court that his report was extensive enough and as to generally how the currency is produced. “I reached out to the overseas criminal investigation embassy in Abuja.”
Subsequently, the EFCC counsel presented the report to the witness to authenticate and after his affirmation, Anana tender the report urging the court to admit the same as evidence.
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel team, the Forensic Document Examiner said that the Ten Thousand Dollars was issued by American Express while the 100 dollars traveller cheque which is genuine was issued by Mastercard.
He however said that a non-constant handler of a traveller’s cheque can not identify a fake unless he or she has previous knowledge.
Meanwhile, during the re-arraignment of the defendants, a Legal Attache with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Mr Ayotunde Awoyeni in his testimony told the court that the EFCC sent a letter to his office, requesting from the FBI to assist the Commission to confirm the authenticity of all the eleven traveller’s cheques.
Awoyeni said, ” The eleven traveller’s cheques were attached to the EFCC letter. All the letters were handed over to the Supervisory Special Agent, Alder Armstrong. Armstrong wrote an email to America Express, the authorisation centre.
“She later made a phone call after a while and referred them to the earlier email sent. The officer at the other end checked the database to confirm that the numbers were not genuine.
“The response was written down in the letter, the pictures were printed out and attached to the letter signed by Alder Amstrong on 29th January 2020.
The witness was however cross-examined by the defence counsel, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) and other counsel representing other defendants.
The witness thereafter told the court that the FBI is not a Nigeria investigation authority but an EFCC requested assistance.
He reiterated that the review conducted by the FBI is that eleven travellers’ cheques were fake.
“The FBI relied on Aelex, an American expert. That was why we contacted Aelex to confirm the genuineness of the total documents, the traveller’s cheque. The only role the FBI played was to confirm the authenticity of the traveller’s cheques, not investigate. EFCC did.”
Upon the completion of the witness testimonies, EFCC applied for an adjournment to present the last prosecution witness which is the investigating officer
The prayer was granted and the matter was adjourned till 30th, 31st May and 1st June for the continuation of trial.
