Tim Parker, former chair of the Post Office, expressed deep regret over the Horizon IT scandal wherein many operators had been wrongly prosecuted because of mistakes in the machine. He admitted errors in managing the scenario and not sharing a vital document with the board. This scandal is taken into consideration one in all the largest miscarriages of justice within the UK.

Tim Parker, who turned into the chair of the Post Office from 2015 to 2022, stated he is very sorry for the mistakes made at some stage in the Horizon IT scandal. This scandal is called certainly one of the most important mistakes in UK history because many Post Office workers have been wrongly accused and prosecuted. The Horizon IT device, which the Post Office used, had many errors and insects that triggered these false accusations.

Parker spoke to a public inquiry led via a judge and stated he felt very terrible for the Post Office workers who suffered because of the defective IT device. He stated there had been disasters in any respect ranges of the Post Office, especially in the manner they handled the lawsuit added against them with the aid of Sir Alan Bates and 554 other Post Office people. The Post Office relied too much on their lawyers’ recommendation, which was a massive mistake.

In 2019, Sir Alan Bates and his organization gained a vast victory in courtroom. The choose ruled that the Horizon IT gadget had many problems. When Parker became the chair of the Post Office, the company become in a totally horrific country. It became dropping quite a few cash and had already used up billions of taxpayer money.

Parker hired barrister Jonathan Swift to look into how the Post Office treated court cases about the Horizon system. Swift finished his report in January 2016, however it changed into no longer shown to the Post Office board. Parker changed into informed with the aid of Jane MacLeod, the Post Office’s trendy counsel on the time, that the file changed into exclusive and protected by felony privilege. Parker believed he couldn’t share the document because of this recommendation.

The document become proven to authorities’ ministers, but they were now not given a duplicate because there were fears it is able to be made public via freedom of records requests. Later, in October 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy told Parker it turned into a mistake not to have proven the file to the board.

Parker told the inquiry that he observed the recommendation he changed into given on the time. He now thinks that if the file has been shared with the board, the Post Office would possibly have handled the lawsuit in a different way. He stated he had no motive to hide the document from his fellow board participants and become simply following the legal advice he acquired.

Parker admitted that, searching again, now not sharing the file was a incorrect decision. He said he is not a legal professional and depended on the sturdy felony advice he was given. He had no intention of hiding whatever and acted in top faith.

The board became knowledgeable by way of former chief govt Paula Vennells approximately the pointers from the Swift document, and the authorities was aware of the file as well. Parker is a well-known figure in the business global, having been the CEO of groups like Clarks, Kwik-Fit, the AA, and Samsonite. He turned into additionally the chair of the National Trust.

When Parker have become the chair in 2015, he labored at the least 1.5 days a week. By November 2017, he asked to lessen his time to 2 days a month. Parker defended himself in opposition to claims that he didn’t spend sufficient time at the Post Office. He said he became an active and lively chair who took time to understand the business and its human beings.