Angela van den Bogerd is a former executive of the UK’s Post Office known for her involvement in the Horizon IT scandal one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Her career at the Post Office spanned over three decades during which she held various senior positions.
Early Career and Rise Within the Post Office
Angela van den Bogerd began her career at the Post Office in the 1980s gradually ascending the ranks to hold prominent roles such as Head of Partnerships and Director of People Services. Her responsibilities encompassed overseeing employee relations partnerships and the implementation of technological systems within the organization.
The Horizon IT System and Emerging Issues
In the late 1990s the Post Office introduced the Horizon IT system to modernize its accounting processes. However soon after its implementation sub-postmasters reported discrepancies and unexplained losses which they attributed to faults in the system. Despite these reports the Post Office maintained that the system was robust and reliable.
Role in the Horizon IT Scandal
As complaints about the Horizon system escalated Angela van den Bogerd was among the executives responsible for addressing these issues. In 2015 during a parliamentary inquiry she stated that the Post Office had provided all necessary information to independent investigators examining the system’s faults.
Despite growing evidence of systemic problems the Post Office continued to prosecute sub-postmasters based on data from the Horizon system leading to wrongful convictions for theft and fraud. Angela van den Bogerd’s role in these prosecutions has been a focal point in subsequent investigations.
Legal Proceedings and Accusations
In 2019 during a High Court case brought by sub-postmasters against the Post Office it was revealed that Angela van den Bogerd had been aware of remote access capabilities within the Horizon system as early as 2010. This contradicted her testimony where she claimed to have learned about such capabilities only in the previous year.
This revelation led to accusations that she had misled the court undermining the credibility of the Post Office’s defense and highlighting the organization’s failure to address the system’s flaws adequately.
Aftermath and Resignation
The fallout from the Horizon scandal had significant personal and professional consequences for Angela van den Bogerd. In 2020 she left her position at the Post Office and was subsequently appointed as Head of People at the Football Association of Wales (FAW). However mounting pressure over her involvement in the scandal led to her resignation from the FAW in March 2021.
Public Inquiry and Apology
In 2022 a public inquiry into the Horizon scandal commenced aiming to uncover the extent of the failures and hold those responsible to account. During her testimony Angela van den Bogerd apologized for the “devastation” caused to the wrongly convicted sub-postmasters but denied any intentional wrongdoing.
Angela van den Bogerd’s career at the Post Office is indelibly marked by the Horizon IT scandal. Her involvement has been scrutinized in legal proceedings and public inquiries serving as a cautionary tale about the importance of transparency accountability and technological oversight in large organizations.
