POL00079413 - Email from Brenda Howcutt to Austin C Amadi, Carol Ballan, Post Office Security, Michelle Sevens and others including Branch Audit of the Grange

Evidence on official site

POL00079413

POL00079413

Message
From: GRO
Sent:
To: ng Carol Ballat I Post Office Security

elle Stevens r

_!Branch Support Team} GRO j
ce: “Alexander Todd
Subject: Extra Audit Report - 103140 - The Grange - 2015-11-20

Attachments: 3£83803B.gif; E0E64101.jpg; 1B741D7C_CTRLS06.png; 640D4A23_CTRL509.png

You have been sent an Extra Audit report.

Financial Audit Tool > Extra Report

Branch Code Branch Name

103140 The Grange
Field Team Leader Regional Manager

warren. hattrell GRO juliasmarwoodé GRO I
RSMRGM ASMICSCSM__

austin.c.amadit

Regional Contracts Advisor Contracts Advisor

lin.norbury carol-ballar °

Audit Lead:
All Auditors:

Other Attendees:

An audit of the above branch, led by myself, was undertaken on 2015-11-20. The purpose of this audit was to provide
assurance of financial assets due to the Post Office® and confirm compliance with a range of Business processes,
procedures and regulatory requirements. During the audit, where appropriate, all cash, cheques, vouchers, Euros,
Dollars and suspense entries were verified and a check of a selection of stock items and other currencies was
performed. The audit revealed a shortage in the branch of £-61858.40. A breakdown of the audit result and details of
the audit findings are as follows:

Office Snapshot Verified at Audit Assurance Amount —_ Cash Difference

Cash on hand £132,793.52 £61,361.38 £0.00 ~£61,742.14
ATM Dispensed. £9,690.00

Other MOP (incl. cheques) £337.91 £337.91 £0.00 £0.00
Suspended Session £0.00 £0.00

POL-0075976
ForEx (Sterling Equivalent)

Postage Ip-£1
Suspense

Spoilt Postage Labels

Santander Cheque Pouches on
hand

Stock discrepancies

£1,119.17
£6,339.25

POL00079413
POL00079413

£1,119.17 £0.00
£6,299.57

£39.68

£0.00 £0.00 £0.00

£5.6 £0.00
-£344.64

£140,589.85 £69,118.03 £0.00 -£62,126.46

Todays findings

Outstanding debt
TCs not processed
TAs not processed / rec'd

Net discrepancy from snapshot

Late Transactions

Confirmed Pending TC
Transaction errors revealed
Currency Revaluation

Current Trading Position

-£62,126.46
£0.00

-£109.54
£377.60

fesrssea

We arrived at the branch at 08:15 and introduced ourselves to a staff member, not known ,when they arrived at
approximately 05:30 and advised that we were there to perform an audit on behalf of Post Office Ltd. I contacted the

Network Business Support Centre (NBSC) at approximately 10:50 a

advised that an audit would be performed at the

branch, and that it would remain closed until its conclusion. The nominated branches offered were: High St, Rayleigh,
Hambro.. A notice was placed on display at the branch detailing this information. I also asked the NBSC to notify the
Outlet Intervention Office that an audit was being performed and that the branch would remain closed until it’s
conclusion. allowed us access to the secure area and was not present in the secure area whilst the audit was carried out.
Brenda Howcutt was then advised that they should satisfy themselves that the figures of the audit team were correct.

Therefore we asked Brenda Howcutt if they would do their own independent count of all the cash on hand again,
which they did. Brenda Howcutt then confirmed that the figures of the audit team were correct.

I then telephoned yourself at 10:00 to report a preliminary suspected shortage of approximately £60000 and that I
would ring you back with the final figure once I had completed the audit. This T did at 16:41 to report an overall
shortage in the branch of £-61858.39999999999,

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£61,858.40

£0.00
£0.00

was made good (no ‘without prejudice’ receipt needed to
be issued)

was made good by cheque and a ‘without prejudice’
receipt issued at the time of the audit.

was made good by cash and a ‘without prejudice”
receipt issued at the time of the audit.

has been sent to “Late Account’ Finance Service Centre
and is to be settled in accordance with terms agreed
with your Contracts Advisor.

was withdrawn at the time of the audit.

will be settled centrally as per standard procedure.

POL-0075976
I phoned my team leader Warren Hattrell to inform him that my ‘cash Check' was going to be a Tier 2 audit and that I
would appreciate some assistance, I told him that Claudette Beaney lived a short distance away and was on a TB day,
he said he would phone her and get back to me. At 10:03 I called Carol Ballan (CA) and explained the situation I
informed her that I arrived to complete a cash check, but that Kevin Palmer spmr had arrived and told me that the
office was going to be approx 60k short and that his father in law was going to make it good by cheque today, she told
me that he would obviously be suspended and then called in for an interview, she then told me that she would be in
interviews throughout the day and could I speak to Paul Southin while she was unavailable. At 10:06 I phoned Rhys
Jones who originally raised the request for a cash check, he gave me the Security Managers details Joel Watson who I
phoned at 10:10 to inform of the situation at this office (The Grange) and that Kevin Palmers father in law would be
settling the shortage by cheque, he confirmed that if that was going to happen then he would not being calling the
police because it can be dealt with within The Post Office.

The decision had already been taken to precautionary suspend Kevin Palmer at 10:00 and that the branch would be
transferred to . The assets were secured in the safe until a relief could be found and the keys taken by Brenda Howcutt,
along with the alarm code that had been changed.

The audit and subsequent transfer of the branch was concluded at 18:00. The branch was rolled into TP 08 BP 02 anda
Final Account produced. The NBSC were advised that the bre ng on 2015-11-23.

If you require any additional information, please contact me on,

POL00079413
POL00079413

POL-0075976