Post Office exec Angela van den Bogerd tells inquiry she is 'sorry'
A previous executive of the Post Office expressed regret for the severe harm caused to subpostmasters due to the Horizon IT scandal. She stated that she did not intentionally commit any wrongdoing.
Today at the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry in central London, Angela van den Bogerd expressed remorse for her actions during her tenure at the Post Office. She served in several positions from 1985 to 2020.
Starting her testimony at the investigation, Angela van den Bogerd expressed, "Apologizing may not alter the course of events that have taken place."
However, I would like to express my sincere apologies to all those who have suffered due to unjust imprisonment or unfair termination of their agreements. I acknowledge the distress and misery inflicted on you, your loved ones and acquaintances.
I wish that the proof I provide would help in finding the solutions that you and many others rightly merit.
She said: 'I didn't intentionally make any mistakes, and I would never intentionally make any mistakes.'
The ITV show Mr Bates vs The Post Office presented a story of immense injustice in the British legal system and featured Katherine Kelly from Coronation Street playing the role of Ms van den Bogerd.
From 1999 until 2015, over 700 subpostmasters were accused by the Post Office of theft due to a supposed deficiency in their branches' finances caused by Fujitsu's Horizon IT system. As a result, these individuals were given criminal records.
Angela van den Bogerd appeared as a speaker at the investigation into Post Office Horizon IT.
, was recently in the spotlight for her role in the show's controversial storyline about the wrongful conviction of several postmasters. The storyline has shed light on the real-life scandal that saw postmasters wrongly accused of theft and fraud due to flaws in the Post Office's computer system. Kelly has received praise for her portrayal of van den Bogerd, a Post Office executive who was involved in the scandal. The storyline has sparked nationwide outrage and calls for justice for the postmasters affected. Kelly's performance has been a significant factor in bringing this issue to the forefront of public attention.
During the investigation, Ms. van den Bogerd expressed remorse and issued an apology to the victims who were affected by the subpostmasters scandal, acknowledging the extensive damage that was inflicted.
Jason Beer KC, the main lawyer leading the investigation, highlighted that there was no apology given by the witness for her involvement in the scandal in the statement provided.
Ms. Van den Bogerd expressed regret for not providing an immediate response but emphasized that she had done her utmost and to the best of her capability.
When inquired about whether she holds Fujitsu, the developer behind Horizon, responsible for lacking 'transparency' with her and the Post Office, she replied in affirmation.
The question posed to Ms van den Bogerd was whether she had disregarded the fact that Horizon's developer, Fujitsu, had the ability to access accounts remotely.
On December 5th, 2010, Lynn Hobbs - who holds the position of general manager of network support at the organization - sent an email to her. The content of the email highlighted that Lynn Hobbs had discovered something interesting; Fujitsu has the ability to remotely add an entry in a branch account.
During the inquiry, Ms. van den Bogerd stated that she doesn't recall receiving these emails.
According to Mr. Beer, there were also electronic mails sent on two separate occasions; the first one was dated January of 2011, while the second was dated April of 2014, in which Ms. X was informed about the ability to access the system remotely.
During the investigation, a message sent in 2014 by a communications employee named Melanie Corfield was presented as evidence. The email was addressed to various prominent figures within the Post Office, including Angela van den Bogerd.
Ms van den Bogerd mentioned that she cannot recall whether or not she questioned the inaccurate information, despite being aware of its inaccuracy.
The woman stated that she may have overlooked the email, claiming that if she had noticed it, she would have disputed its content.
She maintained that it was not a deliberate attempt to conceal something.
The statement currently being used by our company when questioned about the ability to modify branch data or transactions using remote access is that it couldn't have happened as it has never been feasible.
In her three and a half decade long profession at the Post Office, Ms van den Bogerd initially worked as a manager for network change operations. Eventually, she was promoted to various positions such as head of network services, head of partnerships, director of support services, and ultimately, the director of people and change.
In 2018, she was selected to serve as the business improvement director for the Post Office. However, she resigned from the position in 2020.
Ms. van den Bogerd and Mr. Beer both had the same opinion that the chiefs are trying to manipulate the situation by using the words 'exception or anomaly' to refer to errors or faults in the Horizon system.
During the inquiry, Ms van den Bogerd mentioned that she decided to depart due to the slow progress in compensating subpostmasters. She expressed her disappointment and lack of faith in the compensation process.
She rejected the claim that her reason for denial was due to Judge Mr Justice Fraser's 2019 ruling where he accused her of being evasive and deceptive towards the High Court in a lawsuit filed by numerous subpostmasters.
People who suffered in the Post Office scandal gathered with a sign outside Aldwych House while Angela van den Bogerd began presenting her testimony.
Ms. van den Bogerd (shown in the picture) came to Aldwych House before testifying at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
From the year 2010, Ms van den Bogerd held a position of authority wherein she managed the grievances concerning Horizon.
When the reliability of the Horizon system was doubted, she supported the Post Office and refused to apologize to Parmod Kalia, a former subpostmaster who was falsely found guilty.
Ms van den Bogard responded to him by stating that the Post Office had fully explored the matter with Horizon and had found no instances of a technical malfunction with Horizon leading to a postmaster being wrongly accused of financial loss.
She mentioned that there is no proof of any changes made to the transactions in the system through remote access by any branch.
The Horizon system does not include a feature that permits the Post Office or its manufacturer, Fujitsu, to modify or erase the transactions logged by individual branches.
During the year of 2019, a person of authority made the decision that the Horizon information technology system possessed flaws, inaccuracies, and weaknesses. As a result of this determination, the Post Office elected to resolve the legal dispute with the entire group of 555 individuals who took part in the legal proceedings.
Ms. van den Bogard received a surprising scolding from High Court Judge Peter Fraser after presenting evidence in support of her employer during a legal case.
Fraser strongly criticized Van den Bogerd's testimony in a lengthy judgment of 300 pages, stating she purposely tried to deceive him.
In his writing, he mentioned that there were two particular issues in which she failed to provide him with truthful information and intentionally made things confusing in an attempt to deceive him.
The judge determined that she was intelligent, but had a tendency to overlook factual information. He stated that he would only trust her statements if there was unmistakable and indisputable proof in accompanying documentation.
Following her resignation in 2020, Ms. van den Bogerd was appointed as the Head of People at the Welsh FA.
Alan Bates, who used to be a postmaster, fought and succeeded in a legal dispute after experiencing an injustice. His triumph opened doors for multiple convictions to be reversed by the Court of Appeal.
The blog section talks about the movie "Mr. Bates vs The Post Office" which is based on the true story of Alan Bates, who was a postmaster in the UK. The movie showcases how Alan, along with numerous other subpostmasters, was falsely accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to the IT system's glitches. The character of Alan Bates is portrayed by Toby Jones in the movie.
Back in 1998, Mr Bates, who is currently 69 years old, and Ms Sercombe invested all their savings to purchase a Post Office Branch in Llandudno, located in North Wales.
On Tuesday's episode of Good Morning Britain, Mr Bates expressed his appreciation for the new drama. He commended the actors for their outstanding performances and how well they portrayed the pain and hardships that people have endured.
Toby Jones plays the role of the character, and Julie Hesmondhalgh portrays his wife, who is very supportive of him.
The series showcases a number of former employees of the Post Office who were wrongfully charged, including Jo Hamilton, portrayed by Monica Dolan, and Lee and Lisa Castleton, played by Will Mellor and Amy Nuttall.
The blog entry also features Paul Vennells, the previous CEO of Post Office who received many criticisms. She resigned from her position in February 2019.
Back in 1998, Mr Bates, who is currently 69 years old, and Ms Sercombe decided to use up all their savings to acquire a Post Office Branch situated in Llandudno, North Wales.
The business person, who was very careful about keeping records, noticed unexpected deficits in the branch's financial statements towards the end of 2000.
In 2003, the Post Office terminated his agreement as a subpostmaster. This happened because he declined to take responsibility for recorded losses worth £1,200.
He argued that the funds were non-existent and resulted from an error in the software.
Mr Bates and his business partner used to run a shop. However, due to the end of their Post Office contract, they lost an investment amounting to approximately £60,000.
Back in 2009, he established the Alliance for Justice on behalf of Sub-postmasters (JSFA) due to the Post Office's efforts to prosecute 736 previous postmasters and postmistresses.
