Comment by aenis
6 days ago
Read the book, if you havent already. The senior technical staff was actively obfuscating and lying. Developers knew the system had synchronization issues, operations knew as well, as they were apparently routinely doing manual data fixes in production. Senior engineering staff are the most to blame. They messed up and then covered up. The fact that their management covered up some more can be partially excused by technical illiteracy.
That explanation based on lies by the tech staff, is another variation of the Volkswagen explanation that the emissions scandal, were just some low level engineers.
The essence of this story is how the UK establishment can lie, and be corrupt to levels that will shame big time criminals.
[1] "...Vennells was the CEO of Post Office Ltd during the latter part of the Post Office scandal, which involved more than 900 subpostmasters being wrongly convicted of theft, false accounting and fraud between 1999 and 2015 because of shortfalls at their branches that were in fact errors of the Horizon accounting software used by the Post Office.Thousands of subpostmasters paid for shortfalls caused by Horizon and/or had their contracts terminated. The actions of the Post Office caused the loss of jobs, bankruptcy, family breakdown, criminal convictions, prison sentences and at least four suicides. In total, over 4,000 subpostmasters would eventually become eligible for compensation..."
"...In 2013, Post Office Limited hired forensic accounting firm Second Sight, headed by Ron Warmington, to investigate the Horizon software losses. Warmington discovered the system was flawed and faulty, but Vennells was unhappy with Warmington's report and terminated their contract. Prior to her role as CEO, Vennells was the Chief Operating Officer of Post Office Ltd, a position in which – according to the evidence of the then CEO, David Smith – she had responsibility for management of the "operational use" of the Horizon software...."
"...During the case, the Post Office's conduct under Vennells's leadership was described as an instance of "appalling and shameful behaviour..."
"...During her testimony, Vennells consistently stated she was unaware of the facts or, when confronted with documents that showed she had been made aware of them, said she had not understood them..."
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Vennells
Why is she not in jail?
Wait until you hear about the CBE..
"Vennells had been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019..."
I am not pointing fingers at low level engineers - I specifically blame their senior tech staff. The lead architect who later became their CTO (and is since retired). Tha guy knew full well.
I dont deny the management was criminally complicit in the cover up, but it starts with bugs, then lies and dishonesty and cowardess of technical staff - and only then it has a chance of becoming what it became because of atrociously unethical management. They all belong in case studies taught to both tech and business majors.