Former minister recalls 'threatening' meeting with Post Office executives

A FORMER postal minister has described a "threatening" meeting with Post Office executives during the public inquiry into the Horizon Scandal.

Lady Neville-Rolfe said that during the scrutiny of the Horizon IT system and the related prosecutions she was subtly warned to "watch out." She also revealed that the atmosphere of the meeting was intimidating.

In her testimony, Neville-Rolfe explained how her growing doubts about the Horizon IT system and the advice she received from civil servants led to a contentious meeting with key figures at the Post Office, including then-chief executive Paula Vennells.

She recalled feeling particularly uneasy due to the overbearing and dismissive attitude of some attendees, reported the Guardian.

During Neville-Rolfe's time as a minister, the Post Office halted the prosecutions of branch operators.

The former Tesco executive said her view changed significantly after a key meeting with MPs Andrew Bridgen and Kevan Jones. The MPs brought up several issues, including misleading reports by Second Sight, ignored forensic investigations, harsh contracts for post office operators, and concerns about document destruction and the Post Office’s remediation scheme for postmasters.

This meeting, she said, was a pivotal moment for her, likening it to a "road to Damascus" experience.

Neville-Rolfe also suggested to the new Post Office chair, Tim Parker, that an independent inquiry be conducted. This led to the Swift report in 2016, which raised serious concerns about the Horizon system and whether there was sufficient evidence to justify the theft charges.

However, the report was kept largely secret, with only four copies made, none of which were shared with the Post Office board or the government.

Earlier this month, Parker testified at the inquiry, denying any involvement in a cover-up and explaining that Post Office lawyers had advised against widely sharing the report. Neville-Rolfe criticised Parker's summary of the report as "materially misleading" and said that she only saw the full report during the inquiry.

She also revealed that she was unaware of the reasons behind the cessation of prosecutions, which included the fact that key witness testimony on the Horizon system's integrity was deemed misleading and in breach of court rules.

Neville-Rolfe admitted that she had not been informed of these crucial details until the public inquiry brought them to light.

Reflecting on the situation, Neville-Rolfe said that the advice she received from the shareholder executive was consistently unhelpful and did not reveal the complexities behind the prosecution decisions.