Former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has enlisted a forensic handwriting specialist to challenge the authenticity of signatures attributed to him on documents related to the controversial 1MDB scandal.
In the ongoing trial involving the alleged misappropriation of over RM2 billion from 1MDB, Najib’s legal team brought forensic document examiner Tay Eue Kam to the witness stand. Tay, the 26th defence witness, presented her findings based on a comparison of seven disputed signatures against 31 samples verified to belong to Najib.
The materials provided to Tay for analysis were all photocopies rather than original documents. This limitation played a crucial role in the outcome of her assessment. Of the seven signatures in question, Tay found it was “inconclusive” whether Najib had signed five of them, citing poor image quality and distortion from repeated photocopying. However, she stated it was likely that Najib did sign one of the signatures and probably not the seventh.
Explaining her conclusion on the sixth signature, Tay said the image was clear and the signature bore several consistent characteristics with Najib’s known samples, without any notable differences. This led her to believe it was likely penned by him. On the contrary, her analysis of the seventh signature suggested it did not match Najib’s writing style.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, queried the possibility of signatures being copied and inserted into documents. Tay acknowledged that such manipulation is plausible, particularly with photocopied documents, and confirmed that a definitive analysis would require access to the originals. She added that advanced technology can make such forgery harder to detect, especially in the absence of physical evidence.
Tay also noted challenges such as faint images, missing strokes, and inconsistencies due to multiple photocopying processes, which impaired her ability to form conclusive judgments.
Previously, Najib claimed his signatures were forged on several 1MDB-related documents. Despite this, he has not lodged a formal police report. He explained his reluctance stemmed from a desire to avoid influencing witnesses during the trial.
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