Forensic expert links nurse to disputed signatures in fraud trial

Hopolang Mokhopi

FRAUD-accused nurse, Leuta Mahao, has denied attempting to fraudulently claim funeral benefits from an insurance policy by falsely representing that his father had died, insisting the claim related to his late uncle.

Mahao is facing a charge of fraud, alternatively attempted fraud, after allegedly trying to obtain funeral benefits from Alliance Insurance using false representations.

The case continued before the Maseru Magistrates’ Court this past week, where a police forensic document examiner testified that disputed signatures on the funeral benefit claim forms were authored by Mahao.

Police Inspector Maseli Maseli, a forensic document examiner, told Magistrate Puseletso McPherson that he had been asked to analyse signatures appearing on a funeral benefits claim form linked to policy number UMA634651.

“The document submitted to my office was a funeral benefits claim form bearing policy number UMA634651. The signatures on the form were in dispute, and I was tasked with comparing them against specimen signatures,” Insp Maseli testified.

He said he examined the questioned signatures, marked Q1A and Q1B, against collected standard signatures (C1A-C) and requested specimen signatures (R1-R3) obtained directly from Mahao in the presence of investigators.

“The examination revealed individual characteristics and stroke sequences that were consistent across all documents. The uniformity of the signatures shows that the author of Q1A and Q1B is Leuta Mahao,” he told the court.

Insp Maseli explained that the signatures shared identical scroll patterns, alignment and writing rhythm. He added that the forensic equipment used during the examination, including the DocuCenter Nevis and Projectina systems, had been tested and certified to be in proper working order before the analysis.

The prosecution also led evidence from Detective Leketa Leketa, who investigated the matter after the disputed claim was lodged with Alliance Insurance.

Detective Leketa testified that Mahao had allegedly claimed funeral benefits by indicating that his father had died, only for investigations to establish that it was in fact his uncle, Reentseng Mahao, who had passed away, while his father, Abel Moshati Mahao, was still alive.

He further told the court that Mahao allegedly offered his cousin (deceased uncle’s son) M500 in exchange for a death certificate to facilitate the insurance claim.

“We called him in for interrogation. His answers did not satisfy us because our investigation had already established the facts. We then charged him with fraud,” Detective Leketa said.

However, during cross-examination, Mahao’s lawyer, Advocate Motena Lehloenya, disputed the prosecution’s version, arguing that her client never claimed his father had died.

“I have never killed my father while alive. The documents I presented were in the name of Reentseng Mahao, not Abel Moshati,” Mahao said through his lawyer.

Adv Lehloenya further argued that Mahao had signed the documents under the guidance of an Alliance Insurance consultant and would testify in his own defence.

“He will testify that he did sign, but with the instruction of the consultant,” she said.

The defence is expected to call three witnesses, including Mahao. Witness statements are due to be filed before 7 September, while the trial is scheduled to resume on 7 and 8 October 2026.

According to the charge sheet, Mahao allegedly committed the offence on or about 10 July 2025 at Alliance Insurance Company in Makhetheng, Maseru.

The prosecution alleges that he intentionally made false representations to an Alliance Insurance employee by lodging a funeral benefit claim under policy number VNA634651 for Abel Moshati Mahao, who was allegedly neither the policyholder nor an insured dependant under the policy.

Mahao has pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is currently out on bail.