MEET OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS
JANNIE BESTER
Jannie has professional recognition as a Forensic Document Examiner (Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, United Kingdom) and is a court qualified Handwriting expert/Document examiner in South Africa. He has been trained in the following aspects of document examination -individualization of handwriting, signatures, printed matter which included documentation produced by computer printers, fax machines and photocopiers, stamped impressions, the identification of forgeries, erasures and additions, and the deciphering of obscured writing. Training was also received pertaining to the identification and examination of counterfeit RSA banknotes and US dollar banknotes.
Training was received at the Forensic Science Laboratory of the South African Police Service in South Africa. Jannie was employed as a Questioned Document Examiner at the Forensic Science Laboratory from October 1993 to February 1996
Since 1993, more than 1400 disputed document cases were completed. A total of 697 counterfeit money cases was completed in which approximately 150 000 RSA banknotes and 100 US dollar banknotes were examined.
Expert evidence in more than 70 court cases were presented in judicial matters in Magisterial, Regional and Supreme Courts in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland. Expert evidence was also given at an International Arbitration Tribunal hearing in Geneva, Switzerland.
Expert evidence was given in more than 60 disciplinary and arbitration hearings. Document examination consultant services were rendered to clients in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Uganda, Botswana, India, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Seychelles, France, Northern Ireland and Belgium.
Jannie has participated as a trainer in an Advocacy training program and mock-trials on “The Expert Witness” which was conducted in August 2005, in co-operation with Pretoria and Johannesburg Bar Councils for Advocates.
The First African Forensic Conference in 2003 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Jannie was an invited guest and did attend. This conference was hosted by the Forensic Science Laboratory of the South African Police Service and funded by the European Union.
He is a founder member and was chairman of the South African Association of Forensic Document Examiners. The Association was started in March 2008. The main focus of the Association is to encourage open communication on a professional level between members.
He was an appointed member of the South African Council of Natural Scientific Professions, Professional Committee: Forensic Science. The committee was instituted at a special workshop on 09 May 2005. The function of the committee was to make recommendations to the Council on aspects involving Forensic Science. The South African Council of Natural Scientific Professions is regulated by Act 27 of 2003: Natural Scientific Professions Act of 2003.
He is a paid-up member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, United Kingdom since 21 October 1997. The Forensic Science Society is in existence since 1959 and represents forensic practitioners in the United Kingdom and internationally. In 2004 the Society became an internationally recognized professional body. The purpose of the Society is to develop and increase the standard of forensic practitioners to support criminal and civil justice systems. Jannie was awarded professional membership on 03 November 2009. In October 2013, the Society was awarded the Royal Charter and is known since April 2014 as The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, an international professional body with approximately 3000 members worldwide.
Jannie is involved in on-going research and self-education, which he maintains by reading research and update on new research released by recognized international Handwriting experts/Document examiners. His reading includes, Journal of Police Service and Administration, Identification News, Journal of the Forensic Science Society, Journal of Forensic Identification. Additional sources are various web based international discussion forums, Anti-Counterfeiting forum, Expert Witness, The Forensic Forum, Forensic Scientists Online, Academic Lab News, Digital Forensic Investigator News and Holography and Security printing. He also received electronic journals online, The Forensic magazine and Science & Justice.
Jannie is a member of an international web-based discussion forum for Forensic Document Examiners since 2001. This forum has more than 230 members worldwide of which some of the members are authorities in the field of Forensic Document Examination. Members of this forum are also involved with the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examiners (SWGDOC) which on an ongoing basis, review current standards and develop new standards in Forensic Document Examination and publish it through the ASTM, an international standards body (American Society of Testing Materials). This ASTM develops and publishes standards in 135 countries. A MOU was signed with the South African Bureau of Standards in 2003. The ASTM is in existence since 1902.
On 14 August 2014 he participated as a panel speaker on the topic “Conclusions: Signature and Handwriting Terminology and Scales”, with Forensic Document Examiners from United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Nigeria, China, Hong Kong and Australia. The panel discussion formed part of a 5-day programme during the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners in a joint meeting with the Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners Inc, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In an advisory capacity, Jannie served on the Standards Generating Body, of the South African Qualifications Authority, in generating unit standards with regards to training of Forensic Document Examiners. I participated from June 2006 to May 2007. His nomination was done by the South African Qualifications Authority in the Government Gazette no 28970 on 30 June 2006.
The following articles were published by Jannie Bester:
- Document Examination in Perspective - The Security Focus magazine, Vol. 15, No. 5, 5 May 1997)
- Disputed Documents & Specimen Writing - The Security Focus Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 7, July 1997)
- Editorial, Conflicting Evidence of Handwriting Experts – De Rebus, September 2010
- Forensic Opinion – Digital Signatures, A Forensic Document Examiner’s View – www.signatura.co.za
- Article, Conflicting Evidence of Handwriting Experts, De Rebus, March 2018
Currently Jannie is serving as Deputy Chairperson on the ACFE SA Forensic Science Forum. He occupies this position since June 2011. The purpose of this forum is to develop Forensic Science Standards inclusive of academic standards. The ACFE SA is a professional body and also the South African Chapter of the international Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
He completed the Advanced Certificate: Fraud Examination, SAQA registered qualification, NQF level 7 and qualified as a Certified Fraud Examiner, December 2010. Jannie has membership of the ACFE, both the South African Chapter and the international body. His reading on fraud include the publication, Fraud Magazine and the web-based forums, Financial Crime Risk, Fraud and Security and Anti-Fraud Experts and the official sites of both the international body, ACFE and the South African chapter.
Presentations as a Forensic Document Examiner, were given at two ACFE Annual African Fraud Conferences in South Africa in 2011 and 2013. The topics were Expert Evidence with an emphasis on Forensic Document Examination (2013), and Questioned Document Examination as Part of the Investigation and Judicial Process (2011).
As a subject matter expert, forensic examination, Microdots, he served on the Whole-of-vehicle marking Microdot Standards Technical Committee since 25 August 2006. The purpose of this committee was to develop a South African national standard. The standard, SANS 534-1:2012, was published in November 2012 and is also referenced in the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996). Since publication he serves on the SANS/VESA TC 1096 Vehicle Identification Work Group: Microdot Systems as a subject matter expert. The purpose of this committee is the continuous review and development of the standard.
In October 2013 he became a member, by invite, of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, the Southern African branch. The IAATI, international body was formed in 1952 and have approximately 3650 members in 43 countries worldwide. His involvement in this specific association is his knowledge and experience as a subject matter expert in microdots and my knowledge and expertise as a Forensic Document Examiner.
LEON ESTERHUYSE
Is currently one of the most senior and experienced Forensic Document Examiners in South Africa.
His experience extends a period of more than 47 years during which time approximately 10,000 disputed document cases were examined. He appeared and presented expert evidence more than a 1000 times in Courts of Law in the Republic of South Africa and neighboring Africa countries.
He holds a National Diploma in Police Administration and successfully completed a formal training course from 1970 to 1973 on the forensic discipline of QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATIONS as presented internally at the time by the SA Police Service.
He was employed for 25 years as a qualified forensic Document Examiner at the Questioned Document Unit of the Forensic Science Laboratory of the SA Police Service leaving on early retirement in 1995, as a senior officer with the rank of Colonel.
During his service at the Forensic Science Laboratory he was appointed as Head of Training in which capacity he presented official internal training, to approximately 15 trainees, towards qualification as Forensic Document Examiners.
He was also appointed as part-time lecturer at Technikon SA from 1995 to 1999 in the subject “Investigation of Crime”
After retiring from the SAPS in 1995 he was involved on a regular basis in the forensic examination of documents, becoming a business partner with Jannie Bester from 2002 till 2016 at Pro Scripto Document Examination. From March 2016 he is actively involved on a full time basis with the same institution as business associate and senior consultant.
He developed and authored work books and study guides for a basic course in QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATIONS which is currently presented on a regular basis to relevant role-players from public and private sectors.
He was appointed by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE-SA) in 2013/14/15/16/17/18 as presenter of the applicable basic Questioned Document course.
He is frequently invited as guest speaker at Government and Corporate Fraud conferences and at other institutions addressing document fraud.
He was invited in 2005 by the Pretoria and Johannesburg Bar Counsels to assist in training programs and mock-trails regarding “THE EXPERT WITNESS”.
He is a past serving member of the Standards Generating Body of the SA Qualifications Authority in generating unit standards for training in forensic science examinations.
He is a founding member of The South African Association of Forensic Document Examiners, established in 2008.