HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SW1A 0AA
Our Ref: JDP/AP/It
Mr Norman Lamb
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H OET
Date: 20 August 2012
Dear Norman,
You are on record as saying that JFSA victims (people effected by apparent
glitches in the Post Office accounting software) need to be happy with the
forensic accountants needed to look into it.
Could I urge you to stick to your guns on this as potentially some very serious
injustices have been done, In the case of one of my own constituents the
imputation of serious dishonesty deprived a sub post mistress of her livelihood
and good name. Major errors in the Crown Post Offices picked up recently
show how this may happen but this by itself is little consolation and no
vindication of those treated shabbily by the post office.
Yours Sincerely
_ GRO
Dr John/ugh MP
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NEWS
‘Wrongly accused’ sub postmasters _
hope external probe will clear them
P.O. finally agrees to independent in vestigation into postmasters’ claims they were wrongly accused of fraud
SUB-POSTMASTERS ————
accused of theft and fraud NEWS _& POST onic
have forced the Post Of-
fice to bring in external
accountants to review POST OFFICE
their cases, focusing on
alleged faults in the com-
puter system used in all
branches.
The decision was made
by the Post Office after its
management team met
with MPs last month to
look into the cases of 10
sub-postmasters accused
of wrong-doing.
The group were 2008 appears to back up ‘They are part of a never was. I haven't taken
stripped of their contracts these claims as it shows wider group of around a single penny from the
after allegations of theft, _that its own crown offices 100 sub-postmasters who Post Office. I put money in
fraud and false account. _ -whicharerunbyitself —_are considering suing Post the Post Office. [haven't
ing, while some were sent andnotbysub-postmas- Office Ltd over alleged taken any of their money.
to prison in cases dating _ters - have made losses faults in its Horizon com- I want to get my name
back five years of £2.2 million in one year __ puter system. cleared.”
However, the sub- alone One former Post Office Nevertheless, the Post
postmasters have always _-_The Post Office has employee, Seema Misra, __ Office denies any prob-
denied these allegations refused to publish figures ran a branch in Surrey lems exist in its computer IRRELEVANT
and claim the missing on apparent losses at sub- and was jailed for four and accounting systems.
money is the fault of post branches. months after being con- ‘A spokesman said:
severe deficiencies in the ‘The 10 sub-postmasters I victed in 2010 of stealing “The Post Office continues
Horizon computer system _ whose cases will be looked _nearly £75,000 to have absolute confi-
used by the Post Office into say they have been She said she hoped the __ dence in the robustness
‘An internal Post Office. forced to pay back thou- investigation would clear and integrity of its branch
memo sent in September sands that they didn’t take. her name:"I'm no thief,I accounting processes.”
Campaigners blame problem on ‘faults’ in
the Post Office’s Horizon computer system
ALAN Bates, founder trouble and has caused
of action group Justice enormous upset and \
For Subpostmasters and hardship to people
Alliance, has welcomed —_ across the whole of the
the investigation into country.
alleged faults in the “We don’t think it’s
Post Office’s Horizon accurate. We think there
computer systems. are flaws in the system.
Mr. Bates formed the “Fortunately, now, it
alliance after having his _looks like the Post Office
contract terminated by —_are going to look into
the Post Office in 2003, some parts of it, though He recounts one had appeared as dupli-
for what he calls “mak- not the whole issue. At occasion when his till cate transactions.
ing a fuss” about the least it’s a start.” showed he was more “This had come
Horizon system Mr.Bates says he had than £5,000‘short’, only _about because of a soft-
He said: “Ever since highlighted faults about to find through a search ware upgrade they had
ithas been installed, it _the system ever since it of his till receipts that installed that week,”
has been nothing but was first introduced. the same sum ofmoney _said Mr Bates.
4 VAciantTranre — . 130
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