Popular Font 'Calibri' Enough To Prove Documents Falsified

A corruption case in Pakistan has taken a new twist, thanks to an unexpected source: Calibri. The font is being examined as key evidence, as its presence in key documents has caused a few bumps in the case. This is because the font is used in documents that are dated a year before the font was released.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, is currently being tried for corruption, with his family’s upscale properties in London being of key interest to the case. The apartments came into question as those opposed to Sharif suggest that the funds to buy them were derived from offshore companies.

This is particularly important, as Maryam (the Prime Minister’s daughter and presumed political heir) was named a trustee for these London-based properties, in documents typed in Microsoft’s Calibri font. The only trouble is, the papers were typed--in Calibri--in February of 2006--a year earlier than the font was available for widespread commercial use. This information came from the creator of the font, Lucas De Groot.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court tasked a joint investigative team to look at these claims and test their validity. The team recruited the Radley Forensic Document Laboratory, located in London, to examine the documents. Ultimately, the investigative team’s verdict agreed with the creator’s, and now #Fontgate has been used to both accompany memes and to call for Sharif to step down.

According to a report released by the joint investigative team, the Sharifs’ income was at a “significant disparity” when compared to their lifestyle.

This entire situation came about after 11.5 million confidential documents were published from Mossack Fonesca, a law firm in Panama, that named who was involved in offshore dealings. Included on this list were Maryam, and his sons Hasan and Hussein.

It only goes to show how easy it is to get tripped up by improper documentation, even when simply trying to run a business. SCW can help you put the systems and solutions in place that will help prevent problems from happening. Give us a call at (509) 534-1530 for more information.