黑料社

A typeface has sparked uproar in Pakistan after documents using the font were produced in a corruption case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif 鈥� despite being dated a year before the design was released.

Microsoft鈥檚聽Calibri聽font was used to type certified papers naming Sharif鈥檚 daughter Maryam as a trustee for several of the family鈥檚 high-end London properties.

The plush apartments are at the heart of the case against the Sharif family, with authorities and the opposition questioning the legitimacy of funds used to buy them via offshore companies.

The identity of the legal beneficiaries has formed part of the probe, and the documents were meant to show that Maryam, who is Sharif鈥檚 presumptive political heir, was a trustee only.

But the papers were dated February 2006 鈥� a year before the font in which they are typed was in widespread commercial use, according to its creator.

The same conclusion was drawn by a joint investigative team (JIT) tasked by Pakistan鈥檚 Supreme Court with examining the corruption claims, which had London鈥檚 Radley Forensic Document Laboratory assess the documents.

Based on that assessment, the JIT rejected the papers as 鈥渇alsified鈥� in a report issued earlier this week, and seen by AFP.

The conclusion, dubbed #Fontgate, set Pakistani social media alight with jokes and memes, and was widely repeated in mainstream press, adding fuel to opposition calls for the prime minister to step down.

鈥楳ore than porn鈥�

鈥淭oday #calibri聽was searched more than porn in Pakistan鈥�, wrote one Twitter user, Sherry.

Journalist Mubashir Zaidi said the PM should now write his resignation 鈥渋n #Calibri聽font鈥�.

Supporters of Sharif鈥檚 ruling PML-N party argued that聽Calibri聽has been publicly available since 2004. Microsoft did not immediately respond to AFP鈥檚 requests for comment.

But the font鈥檚 creator, a Dutch designer named Lucas De Groot, told AFP in a statement that it was 鈥渦nlikely鈥澛燙alibri聽had been used in any official documents in 2006.

鈥�(I)n my opinion the document in question was produced much later,鈥� he said.

De Groot said he began designing聽Calibri聽in 2002 and sent the finalised version to Microsoft in 2004. After that, he said, it was used in beta versions that would have required 鈥渟erious effort鈥� to obtain.

The first Microsoft product to use聽Calibri聽on a large scale was Office 2007, he said, which was available to resellers by November 20, 2006 and for retail by January 30, 2007.

鈥淪o in theory it would have been possible to make a document with聽Calibri聽in 2006,鈥� he said.

鈥淗owever 鈥� It should have been taken from a beta operating system, from the hands of computer nerds. Why would anyone use a completely unknown font for an official document in 2006?

鈥淚f the person using聽Calibri聽was such a font lover that he or she HAD to use the new聽Calibri, then he or she should be able to prove that other documents were printed with聽Calibri聽in 2006, and these prints should be in the hands of other people as well.鈥�

Maryam Nawaz, herself a regular Twitter user, has not yet commented publicly on the聽Calibri聽claim, though she vowed the report itself would be 鈥渄ecimated鈥� in court.

The corruption controversy which has engulfed her family erupted last year with the publication of 11.5 million secret documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, revealing the offshore dealings of many of the world鈥檚 rich and powerful.

Along with Maryam, two more of Sharif鈥檚 four children 鈥� his sons Hasan and Hussein 鈥� were also implicated in the papers.

Sharif鈥檚 PML-N party insists the wealth used to purchase the properties was acquired legally, through family businesses in Pakistan and the Gulf.

But the JIT report, commissioned by the Supreme Court in April, said there was a 鈥渟ignificant disparity鈥� between the Sharifs鈥� income and lifestyle.

The Sharif family has consistently denied the allegations against it and rejected the JIT report, with allies denouncing it as 鈥渢rash鈥�.

The court is considering its next steps and will begin deciding what action to take next week.