The ongoing hearings in the UK Post Office’s Horizon software scandal drilled down into an area rarely addressed in detail by the courts or inquiries – the topic of legal disclosure of documents and evidence. With the ITV drama bringing home the real human cost of the scandal there have been renewed calls for prosecutions and the Met Police are now formally investigating potential fraud on the part of the Post Office. Attending the hearing on the 12th January I had the honour of talking with some of the subpostmasters affected. Clearly jaded by the long running inquiry, there was an obvious air of anxiety and frustration at the topic of legal disclosure. Early on in proceedings on the 12th January 2024, Jason Beer KC, counsel to the inquiry jokingly referred to the topic of disclosure as “super dry”. However, at the outset he rightly asserted that “the disclosure of documents is the lifeblood of the inquiry and is required for a proper
The Post Office has apologised over disclosure delays which has resulted in the postponement of hearings in the public inquiry into the Horizon scandal.