In a significant probate ruling, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Court has declared a disputed will invalid after determining the document contained a forged signature. Justice Robin Mohammed delivered the judgment favoring a Curepe widower over his sister-in-law in a contentious estate battle.
The case centered on a purported 2012 will that emerged only after the claimant refused to consent to his sister-in-law’s application for letters of administration. The deceased woman’s sister claimed executive rights under the alleged will, but forensic analysis revealed critical discrepancies in the signature.
A court-appointed handwriting expert conducted detailed comparisons between the will’s signature and multiple authenticated samples from the deceased. The analysis demonstrated fundamental differences in execution style and identified telltale hesitation marks—indicators consistent with signature simulation rather than genuine authorship.
Justice Mohammed noted the suspicious timing of the will’s emergence after more than a decade, stating that no legitimate executor would wait ten years to seek probate grant. The defendant’s initial attempt to obtain administration letters through consent before producing the will further undermined her credibility.
The court found the sister-in-law failed to meet her burden of proving the will’s validity and ordered her to pay $1,063,200 in lost rental income from a Bushe Street, Curepe property to the widower. The judgment grants the husband full letters of administration over his late wife’s estate, effectively dismissing all claims made under the invalidated document.
This ruling highlights the judiciary’s rigorous approach to detecting document fraud and protecting legitimate inheritance rights through expert forensic analysis and careful examination of circumstantial evidence.