POL00267444 -Email from Alisdair Cameron to Jane MacLeod in response to proposed email to Post Office Board following the judgement in the Common Issues Trial

Evidence on official site

POL00267444

POL00267444
From: Alisdair Cameronf_
Sent: Fri 08/03/2019 53 PM (UTC)
To: Jane MacLeod{
Subject: RE: GLO - CONFIDENTIAL AND SUBJECT TO LEGAL PRIVILEGE - DO NOT FORWARD.

Thanks, yes to 1 (I was going to suggest it also), yes to 2, note is fine but I wouldn’t try and do a Board call this pm.
Spoken to Tim. I would aim for a Board call Tuesday when we have had a change to properly digest it. “there are many
questions that we cannot yet answer and we need some time to fully digest the verdict. We will therefore be setting
up a Board call probably on Tuesday. In the meantime, please call either myself or Al as needed.” Might be more the
tone? Give me a ring if you want to discuss. Al

From: Jane MacLeod <_
Sent: 08 March 2019 15:00

To: Alisdair Cameron ;

Subject: GLO - CONFIDENTIAL AND SUBJECT TO LEGAL PRIVILEGE - DO NOT FORWARD

Al
1. I’ve asked Mark Underwood to act as ‘project manager’ on this as there are lots of things to do & coordinate.
He will circulate the action list from the 2.15 call shortly, and I will talk to Julie about how he can help her.
2. I will ask WBD to prepare a high level summary of the judgement using the earlier Rik Assessment format
3. Set out below for your thoughts is the text of a proposed email to the Board — subject to Tim’s availability, I
suggest we have a call this afternoon?

Jane

“All

We received the judgement this morning in the Common Issues Trial. The judgement is 325 pages and very detailed,
and as a result we have not yet read it completely or fully understood all the arguments. However a high level review
indicates:
© We have lost on all material points
* The judge has criticised Post Office comprehensively — both as to our historic operations and behaviours and
our conduct of the case
* The judge accepts the evidence of the Lead Claimants, but is sceptical of our witnesses who he characterises
as ‘extraordinarily partisan’
© He has struck out the key contractual provisions which require postmasters to account to Post Office, and
* He has stated that the Branch Trading Statement — which is the key document on which Post Office relies for
postmasters to account for cash and stock in branches — cannot be relied on as a statement of account.

The judgement will be handed down formally either next Friday (15") or on Monday 18". In the meantime we are
working on grounds for appeal.

We have activated our contingency planning in order that we have communications and detailed plans available and
ready to launch at the point the judgement is formally handed down.

We suggest a call at [4.00] pm this afternoon to brief you further. Dial in details below:

Etc”
Jane MacLeod
Group Director of Legal, Risk & Governance

Ground Floor

20 Finsbury Street
LONDON

EC2Y 9AQ .
Mobile number

POL00267444
POL00267444