The Horizon IT Inquiry in London is investigating the Post Office’s handling of the faults within its Horizon IT system, which led to the wrongful prosecutions of over 700 subpostmasters between 1999 and 2015—a significant miscarriage of justice in UK history. Angela van den Bogerd, a former Post Office executive, testified at the inquiry, expressing regret and apologizing for the devastation caused to the afflicted subpostmasters. Despite her apology, van den Bogerd maintained that she was unaware of the critical flaws in the IT system during her tenure and denied any intentional wrongdoing.

Former top in-house lawyer Susan Crichton also testified, revealing that the Post Office lawyers harbored an “unhealthy view of subpostmasters,” perceiving Horizon account shortfalls as public money that necessitated protection, without weighing the ethical or necessary nature of their actions.

The inquiry also highlighted that former Post Office chief executive, Paula Vennells, had influenced decisions regarding the continuation of prosecutions despite faults in the Horizon system coming to light.

The government has announced £600,000 in compensation for those with overturned convictions. However, many subpostmasters are still awaiting resolution.

This inquiry aims to uncover the full extent of the injustices and to ensure such errors are not repeated, maintaining attention on the need for transparency, accountability, and justice for the affected individuals.