POL00210527
POL00210527
From: Amanda A Brown). GRO j
Sent: Fri 10/10/2014 10:35:37 AM (UTC)
To: Ron Warmington - 2nd Sight.
Ce: Belinda Crow
Bec: Tom Wechsler}
Subject: Access to Prosecution Files
Dear Ron
I refer to your emails to Belinda on 7 and 8 October 2014 regarding access to Post Office's prosecution files. I thought
it more appropriate that I respond since your query raises matters that relate more to the Post Office than to the
administration of the Scheme.
For me the starting point in considering your request is to understand why you feel you need access to this
information. The processes established by the Working Group are fairly clear: upon receipt of a CQR POL produces a
report (along with relevant supporting documentation) which is then sent to you for the purpose, inter alia, of providing
a basis upon which you can prepare a corresponding report for the Working Group. To the extent that you reasonably
feel there are ambiguities or omissions in the POL report you have the option of either commenting on this matter in
your report (to the extent it is not material), or (to the extent that it is material) requesting, via appropriate channels
(and at all times copying in Angela), clarification of issues raised.
The point here is that such requests are specific and focussed on matters directly relevant to the report produced by
POL; they should therefore not be overly general in nature, and certainly not so broad as to require the release of an
entire class of document, e.g. an entire legal file. Put another way, it seems to me that the Working Group has not
asked you to conduct a trawl of the primary source documentation and records maintained by POL to ascertain what it
relevant and what is not. The requests in your email do not explain why you need access to further information or
what specific information you are looking for.
In any event, with our investigation reports, we have already provided you with any relevant source material found in
any Post Office prosecution files (ie. transcripts of interviews, witness statements, etc.). This material is of course
used by Post Office's security and prosecution teams to consider, and if appropriate conduct, prosecutions however
the resulting internal documents are legally privileged. It is outside your scope of work to review Post Office's
prosecution practices and decisions and so I see no need to disclose this documentation (which, just to be clear, has
also not been released to Tony). Nevertheless, the underlying source material provides you with the factual
information arising from any previous Post Office investigation and so you should have what you need to undertake
your review.
Regards
Chris
Chris Aujard I General Counsel
This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the named recipient, you
must not use, disclose, reproduce, copy or distribute the contents of this communication. If you have received this in error,
POL00210527
POL00210527
please contact the sender by reply email and then delete this email from your system. Any views or opinions expressed within
this email are solely those of the sender, unless otherwise specifically stated.
POST OFFICE LIMITED is registered in England and Wales no 2154540. Registered Office: 148 OLD STREET, LONDON
EC1V 9HQ.