Jomic Calleja forged his father's signature, handwriting expert confirms

A handwriting expert has declared that Jomic Calleja Maatouk forged his father’s signature on a lease agreement which was presented in court.

The surprising twist came after the expert had been appointed by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, having heard witnesses testify that Calleja had been present at the signing.

Calleja Maatouk is charged with trying to import explosives as part of a targeted assassination plot, but it now seems like forgery could be added to the list of accusations. During the course of court proceedings the police also accused the man of attempting to import polonium, a deadly radioactive substance.

In the previous sitting, when shown a document about the lease of a Qormi showroom which is relevant to the case, Calleja Maatouk’s father, Carmel Grech, denied that the signature next to his identity card number on that agreement was his. He insisted on this, despite being warned by the magistrate of the consequences of perjury.

“Other witnesses have said that you were present at the showroom. What were you doing there?” Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech had asked, warning that she would appoint a handwriting expert to verify whether the signature at issue was genuine.

The man explained that he sometimes used to visit the Qormi property because of his son, explaining that the place had belonged to “two persons” and that the lease had expired around six months before.

When the case was called this morning, a handwriting expert told the court how he had examined specimen signatures by Calleja and Grech with those on the exhibited lease contract. “The signature of Carmel Grech didn’t match,” he said. He had compared the calligraphy of the accused on his declaration of refusal of a lawyer during questioning, with the document.

“Grech’s specimen doesn’t match that of the lease but matched the calligraphy of the accused. There are positive characteristic matches to his handwriting,” he explained.

Summing up his report, he clarified that “therefore the signature on the document was not written by Charles Grech, but by the accused.”

The case continues in July.

Superintendent George Cremona and Inspector Omar Zammit are prosecuting.  Lawyer Benjamin Valenzia is defence counsel.