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ROYAL MAIL — CONFIDENTIAL
Record of Tape Recorded Interview
Record of Tape
Recorded Interview
Person Interviewed
Place of Interview
Date of Interview
Seema MISRA (SM) Exhibit No:
West Byfleet Post Office© 5
Number of pages:
Signature of interviewing
officer producing exhibit
14" January 2008
Time commenced 17.25 Time concluded 18:07
Duration of interview 42 minutes Tape reference no 060341
Interviewing Officer(s) Adrian Morris (AM) John Longman
(JL)
Other persons present
Tape Person Text
counter speaking
times
0.08 AM Normal introductions including voice identification, caution and legal rights. No
objection to tape recording. Form GS001 (previously completed) explained
and signed at 17.27. No solicitor required at this time.
4.06 Form GS003 signed at 17.29 and no Post Office© friend required.
5.23 AM Explains the circumstances leading up to the interview, whereby an audit was
conducted at West Byfleet Post Office© today and currently there is a
deficiency in the accounts of around £79000. Investigators arrived around
14:00hrs and Mrs Misra requested to bank shop takings and handed over
£475 to offset the debt that was owed. A receipt (GS025) was given. Mr & Mrs
Misra agreed that a search of the home premises
could be undertaken and no items were seized. Arrival back at the Post
Office© bank disclosure forms were signed.
7.46 Notebook entries were made which she signed throughout the day.
SM Confirmed that no direct questions regarding the enquiry have been put to her.
8.18 AM Explains that SM was completing a note on investigators arrival and asks to
read.
8.36 SM “(INAUDIBLE) office audit there will be around £60,000 shortage due to staff
AM
(INAUDIBLE) was around 89 and (INAUDIBLE)
Asks SM to slow down
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Record of f Tape Recorded Interview_Continued
8.43 “We did try and bring it down to 60 and I want to make an arrangement to
clear the balance. I would appreciate it if I can have a chance to clear the
shortage. I made up 2 cash pouches as we were borrowing some money from
friends and family to fill these rem bags up. That's why I want to speak to
friends and family (INAUDIBLE). This loss in branch has been carried forward
for over a year. Over the last year we put money in to make it right...shortage.
We took over the staff from the previous owner and for about a year and a
half they were running the Post Office© with us as we thought they run it for
many years they ought to know better than us. But after a while when we learn
more and more we noticed that things weren't right, like, there were 4000 euro
missing, money transferred to the ATM was actually shorter than the actual
money transferred over. Lottery money was taken from the shop and never
entered on HORIZON even on the shop side the till were low. (INAUDIBLE)
they refuses to pay and we kept quiet and we don't want to lose the Post
Office©. After that as well we (INAUDIBLE) which we have cleared. Once
again I want to clear all the losses and I promise it will clear everything and we
will not disappoint you. Seema MISRA 14" January 2.25”
10.33 AM
SM
AM Asks how much was missing at the end of 2006 when the staff left.
14.48 SM Says it was around £89000 - £90000
AM Explains that husband informed him that the Police had been notified of the
losses but the Police were only made aware of £1000.
SM Says they found the difference later and they were expecting some
repayment.
16.32 AM Confirms that around November or December 2006 there was a shortage in
the accounts of around £89000.
Recaps that the staff were sacked or resigned or left the country and since
November only SM and her husband work in the Post Office© assisted by
Melina and Ally.
17.31 SM Confirms that since 2006 they received further transaction corrections relating
to them.
No further large unexplained discrepancies
18.19 SM Confirms she completes the balance paperwork and there are 6 stock units.
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Record of Tape Recorded Interview_Continued
The staff declare the stamps and cash in the tills.
Says that when they took over there were combined tills and because they
couldn't identify who was having losses they changed the system to individual
units.
19.50 AM Discussion on the way the cash is declared. Cash figures are given to SM.
Asks SM to explain how the cash is declared.
20.59 SM Explains that they were trying to pay back some money each week to reduce
the shortage. Says she has also received a £20000 lottery error for which she
is paying £2000 a week back into the till.
AM Recaps that she inputs the cash figures from the tills and asks how the rest of
the cash is completed.
23.55 SM “Just make it up like how much it should be and then try to balance and I can't
(INAUDIBLE).
AM “So how do you find out how much should be there?”
SM “The snapshot when we do the office snapshot for the (INAUDIBLE) says how
much it should be.”
AM “You rolled over the counter stocks, do an office snapshot and it says there
should be this amount of money in the office and you put down that there is
that amount, although in reality there isn’t that amount there”
24.37 AM OK
JL Asks when the £89,000 accrued was there a shared stock and SM says that all
the people did the balance and SM didn’t check anything.
26.15 AM Shows branch trading statement dated 14" November to 15" December 2007.
SM Confirms last completed BTS apart from today.
Says that the figures in the cash pouches and the cash on hand carried
forward was incorrect. Currency carried forward awaiting collection was
£60930:07.
AM “Was that money there?”
27.57 SM “Not at that time”
AM “Why did you do it?”
28.25 SM “So it looks alright”
AM Shows Branch trading statement for 16" May to 16" June 2007.
Confirms that a figure for currency awaiting collection shown as £40447:40.
“Was that money there awaiting collection or was that a false figure?”
29.25 SM “False figure”
AM “Cash on hand of £35751.65 again was that there?”
SM “False figure”
29.48 AM Says that the total of the two figures do not make the shortage total.
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Record of f Tape Recorded Interview_Continued
Says that she remmed figures out which were not sent. This figure would then
be reversed out afterwards.
AM Confirms understanding that the shortage would be hidden by being shown as
held in the figures for rems out, cash awaiting collection and cash on hand
figures.
32.10 AM Shows branch trading statement for 15" November to 14" December 2006.
£13070 shown as awaiting collection. Pouches despatched as £101000 and
cash on hand £27000. “Would that have been a false account as well?”
SM “That's right yes”
AM “So between period 08 of 2006/2007 until the present day all the trading
accounts have been false accounts”
33.11 SM “That's right”
AM Asks what would have happened if she had shown the losses
SM “They would have taken the Post Office© away from me......I because the staff
is my responsibility”
34.30 SM Confirms it was not the right thing to do but at the time they were repaying the
money and would have repaid tit all from the shop takings.
AM “Was it an honest thing to do?”
SM “It wasn’t an honest thing to do”
36.09 AM Explains that by covering up the shortage she has kept the Post Office© and
the shop going.
“GRO I ‘on 28" November 2007
for about 6 or 7 days then returned for 2 days to do the Post Office© balance.
39.25 SM Confirms that only her had completed the accounts since 2007
AM Shows 2 grey rem pouches which were found in the Post Office© secure area.
(302124615598). Inside was two receipts, one dated 9" January 2008 (17:49)
showing £13000 and signed by SM. Also one timed at 17:53. (302124615581)
for £14000 signed by SM Asks why pouch was made up.
Discussion on holidays and SN says sh /
SM Says she was hoping to get the money from the shop takings and from friends
and family.
41.55 AM Confirms that these are entered on HORIZON as pouches awaiting collection
SM “That's right”
AM Discussion on user codes and SM says that she shares with her husband.
43.49 Buzzer sounds. Tape seal 060341 signed and tape stopped at 18:07
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