Post Office Ex-Exec Admits Unawareness of Remote Access, Not a Cover-Up
A former Post Office executive, Angela van den Bogerd, has testified at an inquiry that she did not conceal knowledge of remote access to the Horizon IT system used in branches.
Despite emails suggesting the possibility of remote access, she did not challenge Post Office denials of a back door.
She insists she was not trying to suppress information and previously stated she did not knowingly do anything wrong.
The Post Office has been accused of wrongfully prosecuting sub-postmasters for account shortfalls, which were calculated using the Horizon IT system, by asserting they were responsible.
Between 1999 and 2015, numerous prosecutions led to prison sentences for some individuals, while others suffered financially, lost jobs, businesses, and homes, and some even died while seeking justice.
In a significant case, Bates vs Post Office, the organization maintained that the Horizon software could not be accessed remotely by anyone else.
However, during the High Court hearing in March 2019, a witness, Ms van den Bogerd, testified that she became aware of remote access only recently.
Jason Beer, the inquiry's lead counsel, challenged her statement, to which she responded that she did not think it was a lie at the time.
The ITV drama featuring Katherine Kelly as Ms van den Bogerd brought renewed attention to the Post Office scandal.
In her witness statement to the inquiry, Ms van den Bogerd admitted not being aware of remote access to accounts until 2011.
However, the inquiry presented emails from 2010 to 2014 that suggested she had been informed about remote access to Horizon software, which was at the heart of the scandal.
She insists she was not trying to suppress information and previously stated she did not knowingly do anything wrong.
The Post Office has been accused of wrongfully prosecuting sub-postmasters for account shortfalls, which were calculated using the Horizon IT system, by asserting they were responsible.
Between 1999 and 2015, numerous prosecutions led to prison sentences for some individuals, while others suffered financially, lost jobs, businesses, and homes, and some even died while seeking justice.
In a significant case, Bates vs Post Office, the organization maintained that the Horizon software could not be accessed remotely by anyone else.
However, during the High Court hearing in March 2019, a witness, Ms van den Bogerd, testified that she became aware of remote access only recently.
Jason Beer, the inquiry's lead counsel, challenged her statement, to which she responded that she did not think it was a lie at the time.
The ITV drama featuring Katherine Kelly as Ms van den Bogerd brought renewed attention to the Post Office scandal.
In her witness statement to the inquiry, Ms van den Bogerd admitted not being aware of remote access to accounts until 2011.
However, the inquiry presented emails from 2010 to 2014 that suggested she had been informed about remote access to Horizon software, which was at the heart of the scandal.
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