Avenfield case: NAB’s witness admits Calibri font was available in 2005 on ‘limited’ scale

• Cross-examination of witness to continue tomorrow

ISLAMABAD:  The prosecution witness in the NAB cases against the former prime minister and his family in the court, forensic expert Robert Radley, corroborated during the cross-examination by defence lawyer  Khawaja Haris that the facility of Calibri font was available in 2005, but on a limited scale.

The accountability court, hearing corruption references against the Sharifs, was recording the statements of two new witnesses — forensic expert Robert Radley and solicitor Akhtar Raja — via video-link from the UK.

The witness admitted that Window Vista issued three editions. The first edition was released on January 31, 2007, and the first edition of Window Vista Beta was issued in 2005 for the IT experts in which the font was included. The witness, on being told that thousands of people were using the Calibri font, said that it was issued on a limited scale to the IT experts with the licenses.

In his findings included in the JIT report, Radley had noted that he “identified the type font used to produce both certified declarations as ‘Calibri’. However, the font was not commercially available before Jan 31, 2007, and as such, neither of the documents is correctly dated and appear to have been created at some later point in time.”

Radley had claimed that the type font used in trust deeds of two companies was Calibri which was not commercially available before Jan 31, 2007.

He said that he was answering the questions after consulting his notes which he had prepared for the purpose. He added that the issue was discussed and debated in a meeting earlier.

Robert informed the court that he was working as forensic handwriting expert since 1976, and the Cuest Solicitors hired his services on June 30, 2017, to compare the two declarations. He deposed that he examined and compared the change of dates on Nielson and Nescol declarations.

The cross-examination of the witness by the defence lawyer will continue tomorrow.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir held the hearing of the NAB references, and in the afternoon, the statement of the Pakistan High Commissioner in London Ibne Abbas was also recorded and also identified both the witnesses.

The second foreign witness of the prosecution was Akhtar Riaz Raja.

Two representatives of the Sharif family, Saad Hashmi and Barrister Amjad Malik, were also present at the Pakistan High Commission in London. The prosecution was represented by NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and Director Investigation Lahore Amjad Malik Olak.

Defence lawyer Khawaj Haris objected to the presence of NAB prosecutor in the Pakistan High Commission. Responding to the objection, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi referred to the court decision of February 13, after which he was allowed to remain present.

On the commencement of the hearing, the court reserved the decision on the supplementary reference by NAB against Sharif family.

The former head of the Panama case joint investigation team, Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia was also present in the court.

Earlier during the hearing that went underway in the morning, Nawaz’s counsel Ayesha Hamid argued that there was nothing new in the Al Azizia and Flagship supplementary references filed by NAB recently.

She also pleaded the court to extend the six-month deadline, adding that it will take time to record statements of 16 new witnesses.

The counsel also requested for her clients Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz to be exempted from re-appearing when the hearing of the Avenfield supplementary reference resumes. The judge allowed the exemption but ordered Capt (retd) Safdar to be present in court.

Nawaz appeared before the court for 20 times, Maryam Nawaz for 22 times while Captain (retd) Safdar attended the hearings on numerous occasions.

Maryam tweets 

After completion of the day’s proceedings, Maryam posted on social media that she knew the witness “could not lie”.

She also said that she had faith in God and knew that the witness NAB was relying on would be “their watershed”.

The former first daughter added that she was waiting for this day.

I was waiting for the day. I knew the witness they were banking on would be their watershed. I knew he could not lie. I had faith in Allah. https://t.co/of9QUAql5B

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) February 22, 2018

The NAB has in total filed three references against the Sharif family and another against the former finance minister Ishaq Dar in the accountability court, in light of the Supreme Court’s orders in the Panama Papers case verdict of July 28.

The references against the Sharif family pertain to the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, their London properties, and over dozen offshore companies owned by the family.

Maryam and Safdar are only nominated in the London properties reference. At an earlier hearing, the court also approved Maryam and Safdar’s bail in the Avenfield properties case and ordered them to submit surety bonds worth Rs5 million each.

On Wednesday, the accountability court issued a detailed verdict on a plea seeking an exemption from personal appearance before the court, filed by the Sharif family members in a graft reference.

Meanwhile, in another major blow to the political career of Nawaz Sharif, the Supreme Court (SC) had ruled that a person disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan cannot head a party, making Nawaz ineligible to lead the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).