Anti Bribery & Corruption statement

Post Office (Post Office Limited and any wholly owned subsidiaries) is committed to high standards of ethical behaviour and has zero tolerance towards bribery and corruption. Post Office requires compliance with all anti-bribery and corruption laws in all markets and jurisdictions in which it operates. These laws include the UK Bribery Act 2010 and the Criminal Finances Act 2017.

Post Office’s Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC) compliance programme and policies is overseen by the Board. Policies incorporate the results of regular risk assessments and emphasise that all employees, including the Board of Directors and Associated Persons, must comply with the principles in these policies in the performance of their services for or on behalf of Post Office.  We also expect that outsourcers and other companies providing services to Post Office will adhere to equivalent standards.

At Post Office, we aspire to be at the very heart of customers’ choice by becoming the most trusted provider of essential services to every person in the land. It recognises that over and above the commission of any crime, any involvement in bribery will also reflect adversely on its image and reputation. Post Office therefore aims to limit its exposure to bribery by:

• Setting out a clear Anti Bribery & Corruption Policy;
• Training employees so that they can recognise and avoid the use of bribery by themselves and others;
• Encouraging its employees to be vigilant and to report any suspicion of bribery, providing them with suitable channels of communication and ensuring sensitive information is treated appropriately;
• Rigorously investigating instances of alleged bribery and assisting the police and other appropriate authorities in any resultant prosecution;
• Taking firm and vigorous action against any individual(s) involved in bribery.

Based on the above, the ABC Compliance Programme imposes the following requirements:

• All individuals are required by policy to ensure that appropriate due diligence and controls are applied, to any individuals they engage with, to ensure that they comply with the letter and spirit of applicable anti-bribery legislation and regulation; and
• Gifts, Hospitality and Charitable giving: All individuals are required by the policy to avoid offering, accepting or permitting any gift, entertainment, charitable giving, sponsorship or other advantage to be offered or accepted without the appropriate controls being applied.

As part of the prevention, identification and remediation of ABC issues, mandatory training is conducted throughout Post Office and the Financial Crime team carries out regular, risk based assessments, monitoring and testing of its ABC programme.

Post Office also maintains a clear Whistleblowing Policy and processes to ensure that individuals can confidentially, with no fear of retribution, report concerns to be investigated and remediated appropriately.