In a shocking revelation at the Post Office inquiry, a top Post Office lawyer, Rodric Williams, admitted that he and others had “missed” a key finding in 2014 that it was possible to remotely access Horizon software. This finding contradicted repeated assurances that remote access was not possible, which had been given to independent investigators and even the BBC.
The Horizon scandal, which involved wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters for discrepancies in accounts, relied heavily on the assertion that the software could not be accessed remotely. However, a report by Deloitte coordinated by Mr. Williams in 2014 stated otherwise.
When questioned about how he missed this crucial information, Mr. Williams claimed he couldn’t recall the circumstances at the time. He explained that the possibility of remote access was considered a theoretical one with controls in place to mitigate the risk.
Additionally, Mr. Williams was asked about alleged instructions to shred documents related to the scandal in 2013, allegedly to prevent disclosure in court proceedings. While he stated he didn’t think any documents had been shredded, he was unsure of the accuracy of this information.
The Post Office, when asked about investigating the shredding instruction, stated that it was a matter for the inquiry to determine the truth. They emphasized their commitment to assisting the inquiry in establishing the facts independently.