THE state will claim in the Supreme Court this week that the latest documentation supplied to the court by a Nigerian woman claiming her daughter died from female genital mutilation (FGM) is another forgery, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.

Mother-of-two Pamela Izevbekhai has enlisted a new lawyer to represent her in the Supreme Court on Thursday in a bid to prevent the deportation of her family. Through her new lawyer, also a Nigerian and her sixth set of legal representation, she has submitted new medical documents that purport she had a daughter who died from FGM in Nigeria. Nine months ago, Izevbekhai admitted that previous documents used in her legal battle against deportation were forged but said she was unaware of this at the time.

Five Supreme Court judges have set aside a full day on Thursday for a hearing into the long-running deportation challenge. The new medical documents supplied to the court have been examined by a senior garda from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) who will tell the court in a sworn affidavit that it is believed to be another forgery. Gardaí consulted with the Nigerian authorities over the authenticity of the new document, it is understood.

The state has previously requested that the Supreme Court dismiss Izevbekhai's case on the grounds that it was brought on the basis of fraudulent documents to the effect her first-born child had died from FGM.

Izevbekhai claims her two daughters Naomi (8) and Jemima (7) will be subjected to FGM if returned to Nigeria. She has dismissed several of her legal representatives since 2006. Her fourth set of lawyers, Murphy McElligot, came off record last November on the grounds that they received a postcard that made derogatory remarks about their client and asked the solicitor to "take my advice, back off".

Last March, gardaí travelled to Nigeria and uncovered discrepancies in the case presented by Izevbekhai to the High Court and Supreme Court in Dublin and to the European Court of Human Rights.

A Nigerian obstetrician dismissed a document, allegedly signed by him, as a forgery.

He also rejected Izev-bekhai's claim that she gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, in February 1993 and that the girl died on 16 July 1994, following female genital mutilation.

In an affidavit lodged with the European Court in Strasbourg, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Joseph Unokanjo, who practises at Isioma Hospital in Lagos, said he could confirm that no baby called Elizabeth Izevbekhai was delivered by him at the hospital and no baby of that name has ever been treated by him.

Gardaí were also told there was no evidence of Elizabeth's death at the registry of deaths in Lagos, although a death certificate was presented to the Irish courts on behalf of Izevbekhai.

Public support for the Nigerian has waned significantly. The tab the taxpayer has picked up for Izevbekhai's case has surpassed €1m. She has made at least 25 High Court and Supreme Court appearances and sending a garda detective inspector on a three-day trip to Nigeria last year was also costly.