Post Office former senior lawyer slammed over remote Tribunal request
The Post Office’s former general counsel is “putting her own convenience” first by filing an application to appear remotely from Australia for a Tribunal hearing over alleged misconduct during the Horizon IT Scandal, the legal regulator counsel said. Jane MacLeod, the former Post Office general counsel from 2015 to 2019 and Nicholas Gould, a partner [...]
Jane MacLeod, the former Post Office general counsel, has sparked controversy by requesting remote attendance for a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing related to the Horizon IT Scandal. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has criticized her decision, stating it "diminishes responsibility" and creates a "qualitatively different" experience for those involved in the proceedings.
MacLeod, who served as the Post Office's general counsel from 2015 to 2019, is being referred to the Tribunal for alleged misconduct during the Horizon IT Scandal. The scandal involved over 900 subpostmasters being wrongly prosecuted for theft and fraud between 1999 and 2009 due to faulty software. MacLeod was asked to appear before the Horizon IT public inquiry in 2024 to discuss her role in the investigation and defense.
The SRA's barrister, Paul Ozin KC, argued that giving evidence remotely would be "unconscionable," and that Sir Wyn Williams, the inquiry's chair, had requested her in-person attendance. MacLeod's barrister, Patrick Hill KC, contends that remote attendance does not deprive anyone of open justice. The Tribunal has the power to permit MacLeod's remote participation, with the main hearing scheduled for January 2027.
MacLeod and Gould have not yet responded to requests for comment, and the SRA declined to comment on the matter.
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