Audio forensics experts authenticate Sisi's voice on leaked tapes

[Jefferson23]

'Moderately strong' likelihood that recordings are of Egyptian president, discussing how to divert Gulf billions into army accounts

David Hearst
Saturday 9 May 2015 13:01 BST
Last update:
Tuesday 12 May 2015 18:29 BST

Secretly taped recordings of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s voice, in which the Egyptian president revealed how he planned to divert the money given by Gulf donors into bank accounts used by the Egyptian army, have been authenticated by independent British forensic acoustic experts.

The British team compared a known recording of Sisi’s speech to two segments of the tapes, which were 38 and 41 seconds long.

In a report obtained by the Middle East Eye, J P French Associates noted the acoustic qualities common to both the known and questioned samples, included marked breathiness, a whispery voice, raised larynx, a tense larynx and nasality. The report concluded: “No forensically significant differences were found.”

Their report went on: “In carrying out the task, we have considered the degree of similarity between the reference and questioned recordings. We have also considered the typicality or distinctiveness of the features found in the questioned recordings as this has a bearing on how many speakers of a comparable variety of the language might be expected to share these features.”

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/acoustic-experts-authenticate-sisis-voice-leaked-tapes-591410379#sthash.3hC9F9z9.dpuf