Former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer's sister and his ex-solicitor have both denied signing documents which he has denied forging.
Lawyer Zali Burrows told the NSW District Court she was no longer acting for Mehajer by March 2020, when an affidavit purportedly witnessed by her was filed with the Federal Court seeking to have the trustee of Mehajer's bankrupt estate replaced.
"Is that your signature?" crown prosecutor Daniel Boyle asked multiple times regarding multiple signatures on Tuesday.
"No," Ms Burrows answered each time.
Mehajer's sister Zenha Osman answered the same about a statutory declaration, purportedly written and signed by her and witnessed by Ms Burrows, seeking to have $6530 cash seized at the bankrupt Mehajer's Kirribilli home returned.
Mehajer was a former deputy mayor of the since-merged Auburn council in Sydney's west, rising to notoriety when his lavish 2015 wedding celebrations shut down a street.
He has pleaded not guilty to four fraud offences, alleging he made and used false documents to obtain a financial advantage.
Ms Osman said she did not sign the documents and was not aware the statutory declaration had been made until "probably two weeks ago".
"Not until the police showed me," she said on Tuesday.
Ms Burrows said she was in a trial at Parramatta when the affidavit was purportedly witnessed by her in the Sydney CBD.
Mehajer's barrister Ben Hart clarified court adjourned early that day and suggested Ms Burrows had simply forgotten she signed the documents due to a heavy workload and the passage of time.
"No, because the matter was raised with me quite early," Ms Burrows said, referring to a phone call she received from insolvency expert Ragu Nith, who referred the matter to police when Ms Burrows denied signing the papers.
Ms Osman said she had authorised Mehajer to talk to Mr Nith on her behalf relating to money sourced from a company she was the director of and seized by police at his home, because she was too busy with her children.
Mehajer said he collected money from banks for his sister occasionally, as having a man do it was "safer perhaps", but was unable to say for sure if he collected the cash found at his house.
Mehajer is accused of forging a statutory declaration from his sister.
"The funds taken are urgently required to meet my overwhelming bills," the declaration claimed.
"Obviously you trust your brother to do the right thing," Ms Osman said on Tuesday, conceding it was "probably my fault too" for not paying enough attention.
Mehajer said he "most certainly" did sign his own signature but did not forge Ms Burrows' or Ms Osman's when he entered the witness box on Tuesday.
He asked a third party to assist getting the document signed and was not aware his sister had not signed it.
"I became aware later," Mehajer told the court.
He strongly rejected suggestions from prosecutors that he had forged signatures in a bid to prevent the cash seized by police going into his bankrupt estate, or to have the estate's trustee replaced.
He disagreed with prosecutors that "time was running out" to provide a statutory declaration from his sister claiming the money, that he had been reluctant to provide one, and forged her signature to protect her as providing a false declaration could involve a criminal prosecution.
Closing submissions in Mehajer's trial are expected to begin on Wednesday.
