In a stunning turn of events at the public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, the organization’s top legal officer has vehemently denied making a controversial remark about branch operators. Ben Foat, the Post Office’s general counsel, took the stand to address allegations that he had once stated postmasters were considered “guilty until proven innocent” in relation to the flawed computer system that wrongfully convicted many.
Explosive Email Surfaces
The allegation against Foat stemmed from an internal email written by the Post Office’s former chair, Henry Staunton, in January of this year. In the message, which was accidentally shared with Foat and other directors, Staunton summarized complaints from two subpostmaster non-executive directors about senior executives, including Foat. The email, dubbed “Project Pineapple,” quoted the directors as being “fed up” with the power wielded by Foat and claimed that under his leadership, postmasters were treated as “guilty until proven innocent.”
Foat Fires Back
On the witness stand, Foat categorically rejected ever making such a statement. “I have never said that people are guilty until proven innocent,” he asserted. The legal chief, who joined the Post Office in 2015 and rose to the top legal role in 2019, insisted that throughout his tenure, he has maintained that due process must be followed and that “people are innocent until proven guilty.” Foat pointed to his record of repeatedly advocating for adherence to legal judgments related to the Horizon scandal that upheld the presumption of innocence.
Tension with Former Chair
In his lengthy witness statement, Foat also took aim at Staunton, suggesting the former chair had “whipped up” the issue and behaved unprofessionally. “When I would not make a particular investigation ‘go away’ in which he was subsequently identified, he was very adversarial,” Foat claimed. The inquiry previously heard testimony that Staunton had “aggressively” tried to halt an investigation into the Post Office CEO’s conduct after learning of complaints about his own “inappropriate comments.”
They said Henry had whipped up this issue. I went through this email with them. I wanted to explain to them that the observations and allegations that were made in the email were false.
– Ben Foat on his discussion with the subpostmaster non-executive directors
Subpostmaster Directors Apologize
Foat revealed that following the emergence of the “Project Pineapple” email, the two subpostmaster non-executive directors, Saf Ismail and Elliot Jacobs, apologized to him. “They said Henry had whipped up this issue,” Foat recounted. He walked them through the email to refute the “false” allegations, after which they expressed regret over the incident.
Horizon Scandal Continues to Unfold
The Post Office Horizon scandal, which saw postmasters wrongfully convicted due to flaws in the Horizon accounting system, has rocked the UK institution. As the public inquiry delves deeper into the controversy, startling revelations continue to emerge about the Post Office’s handling of the crisis and its treatment of branch operators.
While Foat’s emphatic denial adds another layer to the complex saga, the inquiry’s focus remains on uncovering the full truth behind the Horizon debacle and providing justice for the affected postmasters. As more witnesses take the stand and internal communications come to light, the public eagerly awaits the inquiry’s findings and recommendations to prevent such a scandal from occurring again.
