A former Post Office executive has denied lying “during” her two days of testimony at the inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.
Angela van den Bogerd, who held various positions over 35 years in the organizationtold the hearing that although he had missed evidence of problems with the computer software at the time, this was not “intentional”.
His duties at the Post Office included dealing with complaints about the Horizon system, supplied by Japanese company Fujitsu.
More than 700 Post Office managers were sued between 1999 and 2015, after the software made it appear that agencies were lacking money. At the time, the company insisted that the Horizon was robust.
Edward Henry KC, representing some of those wrongfully convicted, accused Ms van den Bogerd of telling a “blatant lie” in a September 2015 letter sent to former deputy postmaster Parmod Kalia.
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 states that there is “no evidence that transactions recorded by agencies have been altered through remote access” – despite having received emails years before that highlighted the problem.
Edward Henry K.C.
Mr. Henry said, “It’s a bald-faced lie, isn’t it?”
She responded, “That’s my understanding of what I was given at the time.”
When questioning her further about what she knew and when, Mr Henry said: “You are lying again today, as you always have, I suggest.
“Do you have any idea of the suffering you caused, of the many lives that were ruined, with you contributing to that pain and that cruelty? Do you have any idea?”
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Ms van den Bogerd responded: “I appreciate the level of suffering that would inevitably occur as a result of prosecutions,” but said she had never been involved in prosecutions.
She added that she worked to understand if there were any problems with the Horizon system.
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It came after van den Bogerd, played by Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly in the ITV drama Mr. Bates vs. the Post Officesaid Thursday that she was “truly sorry” for the “devastation” caused to the wrongfully convicted subpostmasters.
The former executive also said she never “knowingly” did anything wrong.
During Friday’s hearing, van den Bogerd was also questioned about Martin Griffiths’ case.
O former sub-postmaster ran its Cheshire branch for 14 years before deficits emerged in 2009. It was accused of being responsible for deficits of up to £100,000 and was then blamed by Post Office officials for a robbery at its branch in March 2013.
Van den Bogerd said Griffiths was asked to pay a fine of 20% of the money taken during the raid – more than £7,000 – because it was believed he was not “complying with certain procedures at the time”.
He died after stepping into traffic in September 2013. A coroner ruled he had taken his own life.
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Inquiry lawyer 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 complaint the family had against Second Sight – which produced a report detailing problems with the Horizon system.
Ms van den Bogerd said this was part of “the broader part of the network transformation. It encompassed 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, Mrs van den Bogerd – would the payment be conditional on the family withdrawing the claim they had made under the mediation, no Was this it?”
She replied: “Yes, because that is how the payment for the network transformation was defined.”
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In another conversation, Sam Stein KC, representing other victims of the scandal, described the former executive as “the Postal Service being like a bad piece of rock.”
He referred to a 2019 court case in which a High Court judge said she tried to “mislead” him during his evidence in defense of the Post Office.
Stein described the comments as “very serious” and asked if the Postal Service investigated her because of them. She said no.
He then asked, “Did you get your bonus that year, in 2019, Ms. van den Bogerd?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied.
Stein then asked, “So, despite the Superior Court’s conclusion that you basically lied…you received your bonus?”
She replied, “Yes.”
The investigation will continue next week with evidence from the Post Office’s former legal chief, 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
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