Postmasters have called for the immediate suspension of all Post Office executives involved in the Horizon Scandal.
In a letter to Kemi Badenoch, the Voice of the Postmaster Committee, a group representing current sub-postmasters, accuse “individuals within Post Office Ltd” of having “engaged in a pattern of deceit, actively misleading Parliament, Members of Parliament, the judiciary, postmasters, and the public at large”.
They urge the Business Secretary to suspend these individuals until the conclusion of the public inquiry.
It follows another week of damning allegations levelled at senior existing Post Office staff for their part in the Horizon IT scandal, which saw the unjust prosecution of more than 900 staff, many of whom were sent to prison.
On Thursday, the senior executive in charge of handling Horizon complaints from 2010 was accused of misleading the High Court by claiming she was unaware the Horizon IT financial system used by local postmasters could be accessed remotely.
The inquiry was shown emails revealing that Angela van den Bogerd was told that remote access was in fact possible as far back as 2010.
The executive, who received a bonus in the year she gave her evidence to the High Court, said she did not “knowingly” do anything wrong.
Other executives were accused at the inquiry of using “Orwellian language” to downplay concerns around the IT system, replacing the word “bugs” with “exception”.
“The recent evidence presented, revealing that current Post Office managers and directors were aware of remote access capabilities as early as 2011 and chose not to intervene, is nothing short of appalling,” the Voice of the Postmaster Committee wrote.
“This flagrant disregard for ethical responsibility has resulted in nine additional years of unjust prosecutions, at significant cost to both taxpayers and the lives of postmasters.”
Although the group did not name any individuals, it urged Mrs Badenoch to take “decisive action” by suspending “all individuals within Post Office Ltd who were implicated in the Horizon scandal and remain in their positions”.
They also want to see a separate investigation into the current management culture within the company, which is solely owned by the government.
“Merely waiting for the Inquiry to conclude is insufficient,” the letter states, adding: “Concrete decisions and swift action are imperative to ensure accountability and prevent further harm.”
Ms van den Bogerd said last week: “I apologise for not getting to the answer more quickly. But with the evidence I had and the parameters of my role at the time, I did the best I could to the best of my ability.”
She was appointed as the Post Office’s business improvement director in 2018, but stepped down from the role in 2020, telling the inquiry she had become “disillusioned” with delays in compensating postmasters.
A Post Office spokesman said: “A culture of respect and integrity is an absolute priority for today’s Post Office.
“We understand the concerns raised and will continue to review and make progress on cultural change which we will share with the Inquiry in Phase 7.
“We would always take immediate and appropriate action where there is evidence of misconduct or wrongdoing in line with our internal policies and employment legislation.”
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