‘Do you have any idea of the suffering you have caused?’: Ex-Post Office boss accused of ‘lying throughout’ at inquiry
A former top Post Office executive has denied lying “throughout” her two days of testimony at the inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.
Angela van den Bogerd, who held various roles over 35 years at the organisation, told the hearing that while she did miss evidence of problems with the computer software at the time, it had not been “intentional”.
Her roles at the Post Office included handling complaints about the Horizon system, which was provided by Japanese firm Fujitsu.
More than 700 Post Office managers were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after the software made it seem like money was missing from branches. At the time, the company insisted Horizon was robust.
Edward Henry KC, representing some of those wrongly convicted, accused Ms van den Bogerd of telling a “blatant lie” in a September 2015 letter sent to former sub-postmaster Parmod Kalia.
Mr Kalia spent three months in prison after being falsely accused of stealing £22,000 from his London branch in 2001.
In the letter, the former executive said there was “no evidence of transactions recorded by branches being altered through remote access” – despite her receiving emails years earlier which highlighted the issue.
Edward Henry KC
Mr Henry said: “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 further about what she knew and when, Mr Henry said: “You’re lying again today, as you have done throughout, I suggest.
“Do you have any idea of the suffering you have caused, the many lives that have been blighted, with you contributing to that pain and that cruelty? Do you have any idea?”
As it happened: Post Office inquiry latest
Ms van den Bogerd replied: “I appreciate the level of suffering that would inevitably happen as a result 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.
Read more on this story:
Review ordered into another Post Office IT system
Scandal victim demands jail for those who denied her justice
Leaked Post Office recordings revealed
It came after Ms van den Bogerd, who was played by Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly in the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, said on Thursday that she was “truly, truly sorry” for the “devastation” caused to wrongly convicted sub-postmasters.
The former executive also said she never “knowingly” did anything wrong.
During Friday’s hearing, Ms van den Bogerd was also quizzed about the case of Martin Griffiths.
The former sub-postmaster had run his branch in Cheshire for 14 years before shortfalls appeared in 2009. He was accused of being responsible for shortfalls of up to £100,000 and was then blamed by Post Office officials for a robbery at his branch in March 2013.
Ms van den Bogerd said Mr Griffiths had been asked to pay a fine of 20% of the money taken during the raid – more than £7,000 – because it was believed he had not been “complying with certain procedures at the time”.
He died after stepping in front of traffic in September 2013. A coroner ruled he had taken his own life.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
From Thursday: Ex-Post Office boss denies ‘cover-up’
Counsel for the inquiry Jason Beer KC pressed Ms van den Bogerd on whether a subsequent offer of compensation to Mr Griffiths’ family was dependent on them dropping any legal action against the Post Office.
He also asked about a separate claim the family held against Second Sight – which produced a report detailing issues with the Horizon system.
Ms van den Bogerd said it was part of “the broader piece of the network transformation. It covered everything”.
Jason Beer KC
Mr Beer then appeared to lose patience 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.”
Read more from business:
British cars flow into states neighbouring Russia
Trade war brewing over electric cars
NatWest profits fall
In another exchange, Sam Stein KC, representing other scandal victims, described the former executive as being “Post Office through-and-through like a bad stick of rock”.
He referred to a 2019 court case in which a High Court judge said she had sought to “mislead” him during her evidence defending the Post Office.
Mr Stein described the comments as “pretty serious” and asked if the Post Office investigated her as a result. She said no.
He then asked: “Did you get your bonus that year, in 2019, Ms van den Bogerd?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied.
Mr Stein then asked: “So despite the finding in the High Court that basically you lied… you got your bonus?”
She responded: “Yes.”
The inquiry will continue next week with evidence from the Post Office’s former head of legal Hugh Flemington.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
Read more from Sky News:
Survivor reflects on five years on from COVID
At least 12 people injured in shooting in Toronto
By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway