Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Former Post Office executive forgets key email on remote access, inquiry hears

Angela van den Bogerd has said that she had forgotten about an email from 2010 which mentioned the possibility of remotely accessing cash balances

Former Post Office executive forgets key email on remote access, inquiry hears

FORMER Post Office executive Angela van den Bogerd has said that she had forgotten about an email from 2010 which mentioned the possibility of remotely accessing cash balances in subpostmasters' branch accounts.

Van den Bogerd had previously said during the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry in central London that she had never knowingly engaged in any wrongdoing related to the scandal.


She was a senior director in the Post Office working with sub-postmasters. She worked for the Post Office from 1985 - 2020, and personally handled many sub-postmasters' complaints about the Horizon IT system.

The former official began her evidence to the public inquiry with an apology.

"I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to you, your family and friends," she said to wrongly convicted sub-postmasters.

During the inquiry, she faced questions about whether she had deliberately overlooked the revelation that Horizon developer Fujitsu could access accounts remotely.

It also referenced a December 5, 2010 email from Lynn Hobbs, the organisation's general manager of network support, which highlighted Fujitsu's capability to remotely alter branch account entries.

However, van den Bogerd claimed during the inquiry that she did not recall receiving such emails.

However, evidence presented during the inquiry, which aims to unravel the complexities surrounding the Horizon system, suggested otherwise.

Despite her claims, Van den Bogerd was pressed on her awareness of remote access, with emails from both 2011 and 2014 indicated that the issue had been raised multiple times.

However, she claimed not to remember challenging these assertions, despite the potential gravity of the situation.

She insisted that if she had been aware of the implications of the emails, she would have taken action.

On Wednesday (24), the inquiry heard that the management committee sought to pause all prosecutions in 2013, recognising the systemic issues with the Horizon system.

However, former chief executive Paula Vennells advocated for some prosecutions to continue, a decision that has come under intense scrutiny in light of subsequent revelations.

The inquiry has highlighted a pattern of mismanagement and lack of oversight surrounding the Horizon system, with evidence suggesting that warnings about remote access were either overlooked or downplayed by senior executives.

According to reports, the testimony of Van den Bogerd and others involved in the Post Office's handling of the Horizon system will play a crucial role in uncovering the truth and delivering justice to those affected.

More For You

ve-day-getty

VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival. (Photo: Getty Images)

Public invited to attend VE Day 80 procession and flypast

THE 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be marked with a military procession in London on May 5.

The event will include over 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, youth groups, and uniformed services marching from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less