UKG100008495
UKG100008495
Post Office Group Litigation
Confidential and privileged information WOMBLE
BOND
DICKINSON
Naushad Abdulla
Branch: Charlton Post Office Branch®, 10-12 Charlton Church Lane, SE7 7AF
Dates of service: 24 January 2007 to 8 May 2009
Loss claimed: At least £285,000 for (wrongly) repaid shortfalls, loss of investment and earnings
during suspension and post termination and consequential losses (such as sale
of his house due to unemployment).
Contract model: Modified Subpostmasters' Contract
Background:
f “I The Branch opened on 25
January 2007. On 6 April 2009 an audit, conducted in Mr Abdulla's absence on holiday, identified a
shortfall of £4,905.19. The audit revealed that he had an undated personal cheque for £2,500 and
mutilated notes which were overstated by the same amount. Mr Abdulla was immediately suspended as
the auditors suspected false accounting.
Mr Abdulla has admitted in his claim that he adopted a practice of keeping an undated cheque in the till
to cover any shortfalls. However, he had indicated in his accounts that the relevant amount was held
within the branch in the form of cash. This meant that until the false accounting was discovered, Mr
Abdulla had free use of this money that ought to have been paid to Post Office.
Key allegations made:
Mr Abdulla claims, in addition to the generic complaints made by all Claimants, that:
Due to shortfalls occurring regularly, he adopted a practice of keeping an undated cheque in the
till to cover the amount of shortfalls. He claims that this was a common practice adopted by the
previous Branch Subpostmaster and staff.
In his post suspension interview, he was told that if he made good the shortfall, which had
reduced to £3,926.31, then he would be reinstated as Subpostmaster. This did not happen.
Reason for termination:
Post Office wrote to Mr Abdulla on 14 April 2009 identifying the breaches of his contract and
stating that he had misused funds and falsely accounted.
A post suspension meeting was held on 30 April 2009. Mr Abdulla admitted to falsifying accounts
and failing to make good shortfalls that had occurred previously.
On 8 May 2009 Mr Abdulla was summarily terminated due to misuse of funds and false
accounting.
Mr Abdulla appealed the decision at a hearing on 23 June 2009 but the decision was upheld.
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