Submit Workplace inquiry: Former complaints handler government says she by no means ‘knowingly’ did something incorrect | Enterprise Information

A former prime Submit Workplace government has instructed the Horizon scandal inquiry she by no means “knowingly” did something incorrect and didn’t bear in mind a 2010 e mail saying that money balances in sub-postmasters’ department accounts may very well be remotely accessed.

Angela van den Bogerd, who held numerous roles over 35 years on the organisation, made the feedback after opening her proof on Thursday by saying she was “really, really sorry” for the “devastation” brought about to wrongly convicted sub-postmasters.

Her roles on the Submit Workplace included dealing with complaints about its Horizon software program, which was supplied by Japanese agency Fujitsu.

Greater than 700 Submit Workplace managers had been prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, after the system made it seem to be cash was lacking from branches. On the time, the corporate insisted Horizon was sturdy.

Ms van der Bogerd, who was performed by Coronation Avenue actress Katherine Kelly within the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Submit Workplace, had beforehand not spoken publicly since a 2019 Excessive Court docket case.

On the time, Decide Peter Fraser criticised her testimony and mentioned she “didn’t give me frank proof, and sought to obfuscate issues, and mislead me”.

Jason Beer KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, challenged Ms van den Bogerd’s opening assertion, as he accused her of not saying sorry for her personal position within the scandal.

Ms van den Bogerd, who resigned because the Submit Workplace’s enterprise enchancment director in 2020, mentioned she regretted lacking vital paperwork and apologised for “not attending to the reply extra rapidly”.

She mentioned: “However with the proof I had and the parameters of my position on the time, I did the perfect I may to the perfect of my skill.”

Ms van den Bogerd added: “I did not knowingly do something incorrect and I might by no means knowingly do something incorrect.”

Learn extra on this story:
Assessment ordered into one other Submit Workplace IT system
Scandal sufferer calls for jail for many who denied her justice
Leaked Submit Workplace recordings revealed

The inquiry heard that Ms van den Bogerd was despatched an e mail in December 2010 informing her Fujitsu may remotely amend money balances in department accounts through Horizon.

She instructed the inquiry she had no reminiscence of it and solely turned conscious of the problem in a January 2011 e mail.

The inquiry was proven a transcript of a gathering that very same month between her and sub-postmistress Rachpal Athwal, who was sacked after being wrongly accused of stealing £710 earlier than being reinstated.

Within the assembly, Ms van den Bogerd mentioned Horizon couldn’t be accessed remotely by anybody from the Submit Workplace, with out mentioning that Fujitsu may, the inquiry heard.

Mr Beer requested: “Are you saying that what you mentioned total there’s correct?”

Ms van den Bogerd replied: “So that’s correct. I’m going on to speak later about Fujitsu, I consider”. Mr Beer mentioned it was inaccurate as a result of she had not given the total image.

The inquiry additionally heard that, previous to a Excessive Court docket case in 2019, Ms van den Bogerd made a witness assertion in 2018 by which she mentioned the primary she knew of the opportunity of inserting transactions into the system remotely was within the 12 months or so earlier than.

Mr Beer instructed the inquiry: “That was false.”

She replied: “Effectively, on the time I did not assume it was.”

Pressed additional on the problem, she mentioned the messaging on distant entry was “continuously altering” and that colleagues had been “very sturdy” that such entry was “inconceivable”.

Ms van den Bogerd was additionally requested about an October 2014 e mail she and different senior employees had been despatched by Submit Workplace media officer Melanie Corfield, which mentioned what the response ought to be if anybody requested about distant entry to Horizon.

The e-mail mentioned: “Our present line if we’re requested about distant entry doubtlessly getting used to alter department knowledge/transactions is solely: ‘This isn’t and by no means has been potential’.”

Mr Beer mentioned: “You knew that was false from a number of sources by then, by now, did not you?”

Ms van den Bogerd appeared flustered, earlier than replying: “Clearly I used to be conscious of that and simply did not decide this up… it did not register with me on the time, however clearly from what we have mentioned then this was incorrect phrases of reference of a circulation of knowledge, sure.”

She added she was “actually not attempting to cowl up… it wasn’t simply me, there have been different folks celebration to the identical data”.

In the meantime, earlier within the listening to, the previous government mentioned she agreed with Mr Beer that utilizing phrases equivalent to “exception” or “anomaly” to explain pc bugs had been an “try to manage the narrative”.

The inquiry continues.