ICYMI...Former Post Office GC Jane MacLeod:
One of the key legal figures in the later years of the Post Office scandal is refusing to appear before the public inquiry, it emerged today.
Jane MacLeod, who was general counsel from 2015 to 2019, was listed to appear as a witness next month to explain her role in the civil litigation that ultimately fully exposed the scandal.
But her name has subsequently disappeared from the list. During cross-examination of chief financial officer Alisdair Cameron, he had said that the government-ordered Swift review, from 2016, was not being shared with him because MacLeod had said it was privileged. Cameron suggested to the inquiry that she may disagree with this when she appeared at the inquiry.
Counsel Jason Beer KC said: ‘We are not going to hear from her. She lives abroad and won’t co-operate.’
MacLeod was head of the Post Office legal team during the Bates v Post Office litigation and is believed to have advised chairman Tim Parker not to share the review authored by Treasury lawyer Jonathan Swift KC. This review had found ‘real issues’ for the Post Office...