MANILA, Philippines – Lawyer Desiderio Pagui, a former senior document examiner of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) testified yesterday that all Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.’s signatures on pork barrel related documents were forged.
Revilla’s camp chalked this development up as a victory for their side.
Pagui, who is recognized by the Supreme Court’ as one of the country’s leading handwriting and document forensics experts, stated before the Sandiganbayan that the signatures supposed to be Revilla’s were absolutely and unquestionably forged.
The handwriting expert took the stand as the defense first witness at the proceedings for motion to grant bail. In his testimony, Pagui countered the prosecution’s claims on the authenticity of the signatures on the PDAF documents purportedly signed by Revilla.
Pagui noted that all the signatures were forgeries, and demonstrated the First Division of the anti-graft court how each signature was copied and forged, and therefore could not possibly belong to Revilla.
Revilla’s legal counsel said that Pagui’s testimony gives credence to whistle-blower Benhur Luy’s confession that that he falsified PDAF documents and affixed fake signatures of certain lawmakers.