A police forensic expert has told the High Court that some of the Declaration of Results forms relied upon by the Electoral Commission to declare the final results of the Bukomansimbi Woman MP election contained forged signatures.
Senior Superintendent of Police Elisha Ssebuwufu, an officer attached to the Police Forensic Laboratory, told court that scientific examination of several disputed Declaration of Results forms established that some of the signatures on the documents had been forged.
His testimony supports the case of former Bukomansimbi Woman MP and National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Veronica Nannyondo, who petitioned the High Court challenging the election of National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Ruth Katushabe in the January 15 General Election.
Nannyondo is challenging the Electoral Commission’s declaration of Katushabe as the winner, alleging that results from seven polling stations were falsified during the tallying process.
While testifying before Justice Rosette Comfort Kania on Saturday, Ssebuwufu told court that his forensic examination had established discrepancies consistent with forgery in signatures attributed to Nannyondo’s polling agents and some presiding officers.
He subsequently tendered a forensic analysis report detailing the examinations conducted on the disputed Declaration of Results forms and his findings on each document.
In her petition, Nannyondo alleges that during the tallying of results, the Returning Officer disregarded some genuine Declaration of Results forms and instead relied on allegedly forged forms, which she claims were used to alter the outcome in favour of Katushabe.
The disputed polling stations include Nkalwe, Bukomansimbi Primary School, Sserinya Playground, Kagogo Catholic Church, Lugazi Trading Centre and Kakukuulu, among others.
Nannyondo told court that comparisons between copies of results forms obtained by her polling agents and those held by other candidates revealed significant discrepancies with the forms used by the Returning Officer to declare the final results.
She is asking the court to consider the alleged discrepancies and overturn Katushabe’s election, and declare her the rightful winner of the Bukomansimbi Woman MP seat.
Brian Soodo, one of Nannyondo’s lawyers, told the trial judge that the petitioner had concluded presenting evidence following the testimony of the police handwriting expert.
Soodo said the petitioner did not need to call numerous witnesses because the court already had sufficient affidavits detailing the alleged irregularities and discrepancies in the disputed election.
However, Katushabe and the Electoral Commission, represented by lawyers Hassan Ssebuwufu and Ntambirweki Kandeebe respectively, challenged the forensic expert’s evidence.
They argued that the expert’s analysis was based on photocopied documents, which they said compromised the accuracy and reliability of his findings.
The respondents also asked the court to expunge the expert’s evidence from the record, arguing that it was irrelevant, and instead rely on the testimony of their defence witnesses in determining the petition.
Earlier, Katushabe presented Masaka High Court Deputy Registrar Loe Kalungi as a witness to testify about alleged technical irregularities in the drafting and filing of the petition.
Katushabe’s lawyers argued that the alleged inconsistencies rendered the petition incompetent before court.
However, Nannyondo’s lawyers challenged the evidence, alleging that some affidavits filed by Katushabe herself contained forged signatures.
The trial judge has now concluded the hearing of evidence and directed the parties to file their final written submissions by October 23.
