Will on Belgian widow’s Sh100m estate was forged, witness says
Lawyer John Hari Gakinya (left) and Ms Lucy Waithera Njuguna at the High Court in Milimani on March 16, 2022 where they are charged with killing Belgian widow Dysseleer Mirreile Lesoipa.
A will related to a Sh100 million estate belonging to a Belgian widow was forged, a forensic documents examiner has told a court in a murder trial.
Senior Superintendent of Police John Muinde, from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), said all the documents presented to him to verify whether they had been signed by the late Dysseleer Mireille Lesoipa, alias Leila, were forgeries.
Mr Muinde was testifying before Justice Daniel Ogembo, who is hearing a case where Nakuru-based lawyer John Hari Gakinya and Lucy Waithera Njuguna are charged with killing Ms Lesoipa.
He said the signature on the will allegedly signed by Ms Lesoipa had been forged.
Mr Muinde said he also examined Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) tax documents signed by Ms Lesoipa in order to verify her true signature.
He also examined two passports belonging to the woman, who disappeared without a trace between December 11, 2018 and July 17, 2019.
Forensically examined
"When I forensically examined the signatures in the documents and compared them with the known signature of Dysseleer, I found no similarities of the signatures in the two documents," Mr Muinde testified.
Mr Gakinya and Ms Njuguna claim to be the beneficiaries of Ms Lesoipa’s estate.
They are accused of murdering Ms Lesoipa between December 11, 2018 and July 15, 2019, jointly with others not in court.
Ms Lesoipa went missing in 2018 and police believe a group of people plotted to kill her in order to take over her properties.
Mr Gakinya allegedly filed a succession case in a Nakuru court listing Ms Waithera, a friend of Ms Lesoipa, as a beneficiary in the fake will.
The accused are out on bond.
The Hearing resumes on June 2.
