Alleged drug kingpin Fadwaan ‘Vet’ Murphy’s legal team has called a forensic handwriting expert to the stand, claiming a statement given by one of his suspected runners was signed by two people.
Yvette Palm took the stand at the Cape High Court on Wednesday where she testified that there were two different authors for the signatures on a statement given by one of the women who turned State witnesses.
The woman was one of the suspects arrested at Murphy’s alleged drug warehouse in Reindeer Street, Lotus River in September 2015, where drugs and money worth R4 million were found.
The expert told the court that she had scrutinized the statement in which the witness states that she had been a drug runner for Murphy and had received payment via his business bank account, Ulterior Trading CC.
CASE: Matter before Cape High Court
Palm said her findings were that the statement was signed by two people.
State prosecutor, Aradhana Heeaman, argued that such matters would often lead to inconclusive findings to which the expert replied that she did not find it so.
She said the case was “straightforward”.
The State argued that their findings were inconclusive since the witness’ handwriting was like that of a primary school pupil.
Arguments over the legality and authenticity of the document is set to continue today.
Murphy and his co-
accused, his ex-wife Shafieka Murphy, his sister Glenda Bird, Dominic Davidson, Leon Paulsen and Desmond Jacobs are all facing 229 charges relating to money
laundering, drug dealing and racketeering.