‘Do you’ve gotten any thought of the struggling you’ve gotten brought about?’: Ex-Post Office boss accused of ‘mendacity all through’ at inquiry

A former prime Post Office government has denied mendacity “throughout” her two days of testimony on the inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.

Angela van den Bogerd, who held varied roles over 35 years on the organisation, instructed the listening to that whereas she did miss proof of issues with the pc software program on the time, it had not been “intentional”.

Her roles on the Post Office included dealing with complaints in regards to the Horizon system, which was supplied by Japanese agency Fujitsu.

More than 700 Post Office managers had been prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after the software program made it seem to be cash was lacking from branches. At the time, the corporate insisted Horizon was strong.

Edward Henry KC, representing a few of these wrongly convicted, accused Ms van den Bogerd of telling a “blatant lie” in a September 2015 letter despatched to former sub-postmaster Parmod Kalia.

Mr Kalia spent three months in jail after being falsely accused of stealing £22,000 from his London department in 2001.

In the letter, the previous government mentioned there was “no evidence of transactions recorded by branches being altered through remote access” – regardless of her receiving emails years earlier which highlighted the difficulty.

Mr Henry mentioned: “It’s a blatant lie, isn’t it?”

She replied: “That’s my understanding of what I’d been given at the time.”

As he questioned her additional about what she knew and when, Mr Henry mentioned: “You’re lying again today, as you have done throughout, I suggest.

“Do you’ve gotten any thought of the struggling you’ve gotten brought about, the numerous lives which have been blighted, with you contributing to that ache and that cruelty? Do you’ve gotten any thought?”

As it occurred: Post Office inquiry newest

Ms van den Bogerd replied: “I respect the extent of struggling that may inevitably occur on account of prosecutions” but said she was never involved in prosecutions.

She added she had worked to understand whether there were any issues with the Horizon system.

It got here after Ms van den Bogerd, who was performed by Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly within the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, mentioned on Thursday that she was “truly, truly sorry” for the “devastation” brought about to wrongly convicted sub-postmasters.

The former government additionally mentioned she by no means “knowingly” did something incorrect.

During Friday’s listening to, Ms van den Bogerd was additionally quizzed in regards to the case of Martin Griffiths.

The former sub-postmaster had run his department in Cheshire for 14 years earlier than shortfalls appeared in 2009. He was accused of being chargeable for shortfalls of as much as £100,000 and was then blamed by Post Office officers for a theft at his department in March 2013.

Ms van den Bogerd mentioned Mr Griffiths had been requested to pay a positive of 20% of the cash taken throughout the raid – greater than £7,000 – as a result of it was believed he had not been “complying with certain procedures at the time”.

He died after stepping in entrance of visitors in September 2013. A coroner dominated he had taken his personal life.

Counsel for the inquiry Jason Beer KC pressed Ms van den Bogerd on whether or not a subsequent supply of compensation to Mr Griffiths’ household was depending on them dropping any authorized motion in opposition to the Post Office.

He additionally requested a couple of separate declare the household held in opposition to Second Sight – which produced a report detailing points with the Horizon system.

Ms van den Bogerd mentioned it was a part of “the broader piece of the network transformation. It covered everything”.

Mr Beer then appeared to lose persistence with the witness.

He replied: “What does that mean? That’s just word soup… I asked you, Ms van den Bogerd – the payment was going to be conditional upon the family withdrawing the claim that they’d made under the mediation, wasn’t it?”

She answered: “Yes, because that’s the way the network transformation payment was set out.”

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In one other change, Sam Stein KC, representing different scandal victims, described the previous government as being “Post Office through-and-through like a bad stick of rock”.

He referred to a 2019 court docket case through which a High Court decide mentioned she had sought to “mislead” him throughout her proof defending the Post Office.

Mr Stein described the feedback as “pretty serious” and requested if the Post Office investigated her because of this. She mentioned no.

He then requested: “Did you get your bonus that year, in 2019, Ms van den Bogerd?”

“Yes, I did,” she replied.

Mr Stein then requested: “So despite the finding in the High Court that basically you lied… you got your bonus?”

She responded: “Yes.”

The inquiry will proceed subsequent week with proof from the Post Office’s former head of authorized Hugh Flemington.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can name Samaritans for assistance on 116 123 or e mail jo@samaritans.org within the UK. In the US, name the Samaritans department in your space or 1 (800) 273-TALK

Content Source: information.sky.com