To draw your attention to Mr Bates vs The Post Office

Feels more like pinball! With multiple blame-balls simultaneously!

Still playing pass the parcel with blame, aren't they?

Staunton's evidence to the select committee today has been dramatic. He has claimed that it was Nick Read, the CEO, being investigated, not him. He has alleged that Read had fallen out with his HR director and that a report said Read was going to resign because he was unhappy with his pay, something Read had denied under oath. Evidence earlier in the day was that Read's bonus and that of other executives was 20 times what a subpostmaster earns. Staunton also stuck to his allegation that he was instructed to go slow on compensation.

Information that has emerged elsewhere suggests that the real reason Staunton was sacked is that he was insisting on following the proper process for appointing the Senior Independent Director and it was clear that the candidate preferred by Badenoch (possibly on the advice of her civil servants) would be rejected. There is also evidence that the subpostmasters who have been appointed to the board felt ignored and undermined. One of them wrote in an email, 'The culture that PMs (postmasters) are "guilty" and "on the take" is embedded in this company and whilst we continue to employee 40+ people who ensured innocent people were found guilty and who continue to believe that mantra, this will never change.'

Also today, Read denied referring to Post Office investigators as "untouchables" despite the fact that there now appear to be multiple sources for this.

Letter sent by PO chief exec, Nick Read, the day before Sunak announced automatic quashing of Horizon convictions. Staunton claims it was sent at the behest of UKGI; UKGI and Badenoch deny it.

Post Office said last month it stands by most Horizon convictions
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/22/post-office-said-last-month-it-stands-by-most-horizon-convictions

Crazier and crazier.

I'm just making a record here as this story develops.

PO Chairman Henry Staunton, appointed Dec 2022, claims he was instructed to go slow on compensation to SPMs. Badenoch not only denies this, but makes allegations about Staunton being investigated for bullying (a change of tune from when she sacked him). Staunton produces the notes he emailed to colleagues and himself at the time. The civil servant named in Staunton's contempornotes claims the contents aren't true.

Post Office scandal: Kemi Badenoch hits back at ex-chairman
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68330465

Row deepens between Kemi Badenoch and ex-Post Office chair
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68337728

Sarah Munby: Top civil servant hits out in Post Office compensation row
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68357074

You took the words out of my mouth - exactly what I thought. Just how low can they stoop?

Bbc reporting on government knowledge of Horizon malfunctions from 1999 onwards. Every time I think I can't be more shocked and disgusted up pops something else. -

Private Eye is still giving really good updates on this case.

It’s time for the police to actually do their jobs.

In a nutshell, @Allofaflutter .

A barrister for the some of the sub-postmasters states in that article: "On the face of it, it discloses a conspiracy by the Post Office to pervert the course of justice."

It us the future Perking and, becoming clear, also our past and present. Tip of the bloody iceberg.

Shit hitting fan time! Surely it’s a criminal behaviour?

The lid's really coming off now.

Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68146054
the Post Office had spent millions of pounds on three separate reviews into remote access - Project Zebra, the Swift review and the 2016 Deloitte investigation - while publicly claiming it was impossible.
But all three were buried by the Post Office.
[...]
[The Swift review] said the auditors had learned that authorised Fujitsu staff with the right database access privileges could use fake digital signatures or keys to delete, create or amend data on customer purchases that had been electronically signed by sub-postmasters. Fujitsu staff could then "re-sign it with a fake key".
Deloitte said Fujitsu staff had also been able to correct errors using an emergency process known as a "balancing transaction", which can "create transactions directly in branch ledgers".
It noted the process "does not require positive acceptance or approval by the sub-postmaster".
Yet the findings of Project Zebra were never disclosed to investigating accountants Second Sight who, since 2012, had been publicly tasked by the Post Office with looking in to sub-postmasters' claims.
The Post Office continued to claim for a further five years that it was impossible for remote tinkering by Fujitsu to alter cash balances in Post Office branch accounts.

I also recommend his book.

Private Eye are doing great reports every week on this and also the Teeside 'Freeport' scandal as it's unfolding but so far on that Gove has commissioned a report that finds no blame. The sums they've made from our taxes is eye watering.

Currently listening to Nick Wallis's excellent podcast, "The Great Post Office Trial" (Radio4), which has been recommended here several times.

In the light of the news the DWP, too, would like police-type powers, this bit leapt out at me:

“Post Office [...] was avoiding the need to go through the Crown Prosecution Service (the CPS). It is pretty obvious that the approach was designed around asset recovery, rather than seeking the truth or for that matter finding any process flaws which needed to be corrected. That was secondary or of no consequence. What it was all about was recovering money.”
(Episode 5, “Follow the Money”, at approx 4:00 minute mark)

Just felt the need to get this on record here. I have a horrible feeling I've just seen the future.

Well John Major wanted to go back to Victorian Values.

I'm amazed that this bunch haven't started a workhouse building programme. Can't be long. Maybe when the private prisons programme is completed? Contracts for all.. We'll call it Social Care.

Sorry, I know that's off-topic for a thread about the life-threatening gross injustices by the Post Office... But on the other hand, it's not.

And the Post Office at least started as a trusted brand. The DWP – re disability benefits – has form longer than your arm for dishonesty, malice and breaking the law.

The DWP, feeling left out, would like to copy the Post Office and be "victim", investigator and prosecutor all rolled in one. To save resources.

Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System (2022), p15
New powers

1. To enable us to investigate and disrupt serious and organised fraud activity more decisively and quickly, we plan to create new powers so our officers will be able to undertake arrests and apply to search and seize evidence in criminal investigations, when parliamentary time allows. This will enable them to act in a timely fashion, without always having to rely on police resources.
2. Investigators would be required to make the same decisions and comply with the requirements as the police currently do, ensuring that action taken is in accordance with the law.

Oh bloody hell.

Just seen this.

Would you feel safe with a DWP ‘police force’?
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/would-you-feel-safe-with-a-dwp-‘police-force’?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Benefits%20and%20Work&utm_content=V2%20January%202024%20newsletter

We also like to think we have democracy when first past the post is fairly rigged. Along with electoral boundary changes.... it's all very depressing.

We're late to this and have only just seen the first episode. Me and DH are speechless. I said that heads should roll and criminal charges be brought. DH thinks that every one who knew this was happening and knowingly put those poor people through hell should be shot. How they can live with themselves I have no idea.

Watching it on the news now. The more that is found the lower the reputation of the Post Office and the government ministers who were involved is sinking. Absolutely disgusting.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68079300

The BBC has got hold of* the un*redacted minutes of a 2014 meeting of Project Sparrow, in which Paula Vennells et al discuss how to sack Second Sight to prevent it investigating further, and to make only "token payments" to the SPM applying to the mediation scheme.

They kept some of this secret from Parliament.