Private and Confidential
Laurence Lee & Co
DX 14123 Liverpool
Date: 18 September 2012
Our Ref: AB2/24040
Dear Sirs,
Re: Rv Anne Nield & another
Liverpool Crown Court
For Trial 17 October 2012
POL00058306
POL00058306
CartwrightKing
RN SOL CTT OR 5
Nottingham I Birmingham i Leicester I Derby I Sheff
Permanent House
31 Horsefair Street
Leicester
LE1 5BU
DX 10825 Leicester
Email:
Secure Email
We write in response to your letter of the 13 September 2012, enclosing your S.8
application, and under our continuing duty of disclosure in this matter.
With regard to the material requested in your application at paragraph 4:
a. Over the years some Post Offices under investigation for losses have claimed that
the Horizon system is at fault. A number of these cases have made their way
through the Courts, but to date none have been successful, Notwithstanding this, a
review of a number of these cases is due to take place, and details of this are
attached.
b. In addition to this review, it is understood that a further report from Fujitsu UK, the
Horizon system developers confirming the integrity of the system is being
prepared. At present the working assumption is that this will take 6 weeks to
prepare, but this timescale may change. Defence experts have in the past attended
the relevant Post Offices to be able to analyse the relevant data. Access to the
system beyond that would need to be specified and approved by POL before being
allowed.
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Andrew Bole
Solicitor
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After a number of meetings between Post Office Management and Members of Parliament in
relation to the Court cases, it was agreed that the Post Office would undertake an external
review of the cases which had been raised by the Member's constituents. As the Post Office
continues to have absolute confidence in the robustness and integrity of its Horizon system
and its branch accounting processes, it had no hesitation in agreeing to an external review of
these few individual cases.
In order to provide assurance to the interested parties, it was proposed that the review be
undertaken by independent Auditors, 2™ Sight. The review will be specifically restricted to the
cases raised by the MPs as well as reviewing the accounting procedures, processes and
reconciliations undertaken in relation to the cases in question. Before formal instructions are
given to the Independent Auditors, agreements will be sought from ail interested parties,
namely the Members of Parliament and Justice For Sub Postmasters. The Sub Postmasters
have requested a Forensic Accountant of their choice be appointed to oversee the Cases
being reviewed by 2nd Sight.
All the above is accepted based on the terms of the Review being carried out, but this is in no
way an acknowledgment by the Post Office that there is an issue with Horizon. Over the past
ten years, many millions of branch reconciliations have been carried out with transactions and
balances accurately recorded by more than 25,000 different sub postmasters and the Horizon
system continues to work properly in post offices across the length and breadth of the UK.
When the system has been challenged in criminal courts, it has been successfully defended.
POL00058306
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