Paula Vennells accused of 'keeping a lid' on Post Office scandal during grilling by victims' lawyer

Paula Vennells told the Horizon IT Inquiry she did her “very best” but accepted “it wasn’t good enough”.
Edward Henry KC, on behalf of a number of subpostmasters, said: “I suggest to you that you still continue to live in a cloud of denial and it persists even to today because you have given in 750-odd pages (of a witness statement) a craven, self-serving account haven’t you? ‘I didn’t know, nobody told me, I can’t remember, I was not shown this, I relied on the lawyers’.”
Ms Vennells replied: “I have tried to do this to the very best of my ability. I have taken… all of the questions I was asked. I have answered them honestly, no matter how difficult or how embarrassing or how wrong I was at the time. I don’t believe I could have worked harder for this.”
Mr Henry went on: “What I’m going to suggest to you is that whatever you did was deliberate, considered and calculated. No one deceived you, no one misled you. You set the agenda and the tone for the business.”
Ms Vennells responded: “I was the chief executive, I did not set the agenda for the work of the scheme and the way the legal and the IT parts of it worked.
“I had to rely on those colleagues who were experts and I had no reason not to take the advice that I was given. I accept I was chief executive and, as I have said, as a chief executive you have ultimate accountability and that is simply fact.
“You are not responsible for everything that happens underneath you. You have to rely on the advice of internal and external experts and that is what I did and I was not working alone on this.”
She added: “I did my very best through this, and it wasn’t good enough, and that is a regret I carry with me.”
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[@spaceo8568]

What's really infuriating is, people like this, with jobs like this, never go to jail. They just get fired. Innocent people went to prison for this. People died by their own hands because of this. WHERE DID ALL THAT "STOLEN" MONEY GO?

[@josephdebri8941]

AND they still get their bonuses

[@ThePritch74]

You knows it...😔

[@ianhowdin993]

@@josephdebri8941 And a golden parachute!

[@alancumming6407]

Yes. Where did all that money go? It wasn't owed to the PO but they have it.

[@howardosborne8647]

​@@alancumming6407 That is a question I'd like to see answers for. How come nobody at the Post Office spotted the fact that there must have been an unexplained surplus on the accounts because the money they stole from the Sub Postmasters was never missing in the first place... Why that hasn't been queried is a mystery to me.

[@steve10]

This is great, I'm all for making this woman suffer this , but when are we putting her in prison for 15 years ???

[@user-py6bo1jz2m]

She gets a kicking in prison 😅😅

[@robertwright7937]

ASAP.

[@johndavies6258]

Bet she doesnt go to jail in fact i bet not one of them does

[@delcat8168]

Problem is she can't get done for being a malignant witch... prob' just contempt or perjury, with a slapped wrist. Her ridiculous pay and bonuses will never get recovered.

[@jamesbowskill362]

WHY just 15 years? with the limpwristed judiciary we have here & the near useless government telling the judges NOT to send criminals to prison BECAUSE ALL THE PRISONS ARE FULL !!!!!!! SHE WOULD ONLY SERVE THE MANDATORY 50% ie 71/2 years............................NAH ! FOR SUCH A HEINOUS RANGE OF CRIMES TO HUMANITY SHE DESERVES 50 YEARS AT LEAST with no early parole. Dont forget to apply The Proceeds of Crime Act to her, selling her luxurious mansion should realise £10MIllion towards the SPMS illegally taken money, that she shared amongst her board members as part of the Suspense Account!!!!

[@FUJITRACK10]

Where’s all the money they STOLE off the sub postmasters?

[@philhart4849]

In Paula Vennells' personal bank account at a guess.

[@adriennestjohn4383]

Millions of pounds question!

[@user-py6bo1jz2m]

Bonus payments.

[@jacknapier6991]

Fujitsu?

[@user-jo7gb2ot5i]

In her pocket

[@user-cl7ub8ft6x]

Suddenly she cannot remember it all! She was the boss for years!!! How on earth did she get the job if she was so incompetent and useless! Then she got a top NHS job after leaving the Post Office!!! Plus she was given a CBE and recommended to be the Bishop of London!! Absolutely appalling!

[@howardosborne8647]

She will likely be nominated for best actress after this recent performance.

[@Eyespy743]

People like Vennells never go to prison and never get stripped of their pension, in short never any repercussions, no matter how it harms others.

[@Jamesherd-po6ez]

I agree with you completely,but there are repercussions for her personally,her reputation is now in the dirt,and she will take that to her grave.

[@user-ts2be3mw1z]

They don't imprison otherwise there would be several hundred like her in, Inc half the government

[@sebastianverney7851]

Oh dear, it's really painful to watch her squirming. She characterises the attitude in big institutions across the whole country. Financial services, rotten to the core, their so-called “regulator”, rotten to the core, the police, riddled with corruption and incompetence, the Post Office, submerged in scandal which has destroyed many people’s lives, all stemming from unnecessary lies and falsehood, the National Health Service, saturated with unnecessary lies and falsehood, the water companies and so on.

[@Eyespy743]

And all for personal gain; bonuses, promotion, pension pot and all the other perks they can cream off.

[@ritab8663]

Talked her way around every denial or agreeance

[@keithf_]

I don't find it painful to watch at all. She has, and will, get off very lightly indeed for what she and her equally despicable colleagues did.

[@sebastianverney7851]

@@keithf_ “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

[@keithf_]

@@sebastianverney7851 Are you pleading mercy for Vennells ? Ironic, considering the complete lack of mercy and empathy this ordained minister displayed towards subpostmasters.

[@paul-gr9jk]

She be an MP next she has all the attributes

[@keithf_]

The Conservative Party (shamefully) put her name forward to be a member of the House of Lords ... until the TV drama doc happened which scuppered all their plans.

[@mickpilling]

Absolutely 1st class material

[@robc1342]

As long as she admits no wrongdoing, she’ll be safe. A valuable lesson for us in avoiding prosecution. Stay poise, reframe yourself in a noble if not innocent light and all will be well. We won’t get any admission until she is convicted and she wants to avoid a severe sentence. Small chance if any she gets convicted of anything.

[@peterhume7150]

It wasn't me...pathetic

[@stephenbrown4211]

She IS responsible for everything that happens underneath her, that’s what CEO’s are there for. The Buck stops with her, the sanctimonious liar! Maybe she didn’t get the email about that.

[@FUJITRACK10]

And crozier before her

[@philhart4849]

There is a word for people like her: bigot.

[@jdekong3945]

She can’t recall…

[@tonywatson1412]

O, what a tangled web we weave , when first we practice to decieve .

[@deang5622]

Let the spell checker do its job. Don't override it unless you are sure it got it wrong.

[@josephinedewar4469]

This constant repetition of this quote gets boring!

[@frankmcconnellogue3351]

People go to jail for not paying their tv licenses,I just wonder how many of these amnesiacs will. None probably.

[@catherinesinclair7727]

That's such a good point.

[@ZIGSVIDS]

When ever they point the finger directly at her she blubbers...It's a tactic.

[@joanneramsden1514]

She has admitted she protected the post office at all costs

[@delcat8168]

Your role is to tell the truth first. She wouldn't recognise the truth if it bit her on the backside.

[@charlesevans2701]

Which backside?

[@deang5622]

Role, not roll.

[@delcat8168]

@@deang5622 corrected..ta'

[@patrickm8316]

Paula Vennells claims that she didn’t know about these serious cases of miss justice then why did she spend so much time and money trying to cover them up?

[@markgrunzweig6377]

Shameless, absolutely shameless....

[@onenote6619]

It's the same old story. Something went wrong and they tried to cover it up. When things went even more wrong, they decided to deepen the cover-up. And now being committed to it, things spiralled out of control. If they had investigated properly when the prosecutions started rising for no apparent reason, things would never have got this bad.

[@howardosborne8647]

Yes,even if a number of Sub Postmasters had been wrongly prosecuted all that would have been far more forgivable if Vennells and her cronies had been honest and admitted they had discovered errors with Horizon that may have caused wrongful prosecutions. If they had held their hands up at an early point and sought independent investigation into Horizon then they would all look a lot more credible now.

[@Barry-tl3ru]

How many times can someone lie.

[@richardgiles2484]

She has no understanding of the meaning of truth 😢 and isn't she a church member 😢😢 Senior staff at the post need to be in prison for what they have done

[@user-qo2fc6jc2p]

Allegedly She is an ordained priest, & thanks to the modernisation of the Church cannot be "unfrocked"R

[@kitcat4512]

Has anyone asked her if she was a trained leader, leading beyond her authority in a common purpose?

[@deang5622]

Is she Common Purpose alumni? Probably.

[@michaelparker5510]

Nothing less than jail will do for her and many others

[@johncolley7643]

She didn’t know but the Post Office did, legal didn’t know but the Post Office did, the board didn’t know but the Post office did, who or what the hell is this entity the Post Office?

[@simonwallis1787]

Remote access is nota bug. It is programmed into it.

[@adamgriffiths9476]

Everyone is sorry when they are caught! An example must be made and a clear message sent to any establishment who believes they are above the law!

[@user-py6bo1jz2m]

She remembers virtually zero about anything. It is absolutely obvious she say as little as possible to every question to protect herself. An absolutely horrendous woman. Jail. A religious minister 😅😅😅 representing the devil.

[@user-yo1dg5zc3w]

Had none of these issues when it was just a bloke and his cat

[@howardosborne8647]

😂😂

[@janeday9148]

The management team's actions has to be tested in a Court of Law to restore the trust that has been lost in British institutions to see if there is Criminality & Culpability

[@RobertSmith-zi4cn]

All this inquiry and I bet she gets no prison sentence.

[@raymondbonington9355]

Think I’ll give church a miss this Sunday if this is one who preaches what’s right or wrong .

[@gdrums7733]

Top down not one of them has said why, not one has implicated any other. Nobody has pointed the finger saying they told me to do it. Not normal behaviours, they are a corporate cult.

[@sarahlong9962]

Can't help but think Paula vennels and co were told to keep their traps shut.the people accused have gone to hell and back and it's still going on how do you survive after this your name is mud reputation gone

[@StuartRyde-uu1tx]

This woman won't be around for much longer!

[@robertwright7937]

She got the CBE for the cover up, I reckon.

[@gary8306]

Noooooo one seems at fault within the PO. SMH.

[@MM.-qo7pk]

The Parliament/government UK needs to bring in laws to protect the consumers and the public, and more broadly, to protect everyone against this type of criminal activities and fraudulent activities by CEOs, board of directors, managers, fraud investigators, law firms, etc. Laws will make these criminals accountable for their actions in the uk and overseas as they will move their operations abroad to get away with falsifying records to suit their agenda! 1:17

[@howardosborne8647]

Definitely a need for a thorough review of codes and practices regulations regarding CEOs and senior managers. There has been far too much rogue conduct allowed to grow in these roles.

[@dinaworkman306]

The powers that be will protect her.

[@petercanberra9056]

Well rehearsed testimony, doubtless at great legal expense. I hope the post office is not covering this cost.

[@TrevorWheeler-jn9kb]

they say british justice is good if it was she would go down

[@ricatkins4918]

Imagine being a CEO, and having absolutely no idea of what is occurring in your own company......🤔

[@markgrunzweig6377]

Unfortunately, in this world of limited liability corporations, this is the rule rather than the exception. The same with her religiousness. All about protection the institution (brand), while receiving a big salary, bonuses and awards. In America, it's the "golden parachute".

[@dinaworkman306]

She has blood on her hands

[@colinsteam]

If she is truly repentant she will give her ill gotten gains to the victims but we all know she is a greedy, selfish excuse for a priest who will NEVER do that.

[@ianbuffham4006]

I have searched high and low for any interview with Gareth Jenkins (“distinguished engineer”) but there seems to be nothing. Why is he maintaining a low profile?

[@daveallsopp320]

Protect the post office by finding fall guys to save reputation

[@markgrunzweig6377]

Protect the "image", means do whatever to hide the truth. Weren't sub postmasters literally "partners"? Then why did you all hold then in such contempt, as troublemakers? Now's her chance to come clean before the world and God, yet she failed. For her, being a vicar and almost a bishop was just another scout merit badge. Same old story of those of a certain class. Shame is a noble virtue, she is noble. She feels guilty, but no shame.

[@anthonyjones955]

Like all ceo positions. Large line of middle management to keep quiet. Come back to bite now eh

[@johnwhitefoot9803]

Where is the evidence from former Post Office Chairman ‘Curly’ Tim Parker in all of this? Mr Parker, one of Boris’s old chums, became Chairman of Post Office Ltd in 2015, in the midst of the already long dispute between the Post Office and a number of sub postmasters over problems with its Horizon computer system. In April 2018, Mr Parker was appointed chairman of Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), effective 27 April 2018.

[@fastacesus8499]

This pious women was lined up to be Bishop of London... Exec will always be an Exec. Look after themselves screw their employees.

[@timothyheald6637]

Perhaps she should change her surname to “Venal”.

[@paul-gr9jk]

Is she under oath ?

[@howardosborne8647]

Yes,they all start with taking an oath at this inquiry.

[@lizbourn4192]

She should be prosecuted

[@user-hu7um4kz4c]

Jail for her

[@chalkywhite11]

Go straight to jail, do not pass go and do not collect £2m bonus

[@user-kv2rz3mw2b]

Me Gov nothing to do with me.

[@LOrealHardly]

Is there a class system, are there elite? Sub-Postmaster=goes to prison, prosecuted, life ruined Post Office Managers="You were very naughty" [wrist slapped] "Well anyway, back to the caviar & Champagne"

[@rubberplantsandwich]

Imagine, at your place of work, some money goes missing. You get blamed. If you deny it you are threatened with court resulting in prison. Or if you admit it you just get a suspended sentence or community punishment. So to avoid prison you admit guilt. Over and done with you think. Then your company sues you for court costs because you were found guilty, you owe £350,000 in court costs. Your life ruined. This company is called the Post Office. Their logo is " whatever you need us for, we're here for you". They spent £100 million in expensive lawers to try to avoid paying £58 million in compensation. The class action saw the incorrectly convicted see £20,000 in compensation after court costs. The executive salaries were between £250,000 and £500,000. Post Office investigators were given bonuses for every Horizon conviction

[@user-qo2fc6jc2p]

Some very good lawyers holding people to account, but it appears to me this Chairman is SO weak.

[@drewneil1873]

Lying Toad; but that's an insult to Toads.

[@ianmoran1281]

A priest apparently?...not an ounce of empify!

[@user-cp8xi3ej2m]

This is fantastic to watch Royal group is rotten from the management at the sorting office floor to the board room and no surprise to me as I worked there for 33 plus years . There miss management has court up with them

[@likeitout]

In essence, this is what I can glean from what she said. The evidence which brought the media and just about everyone else, to conclude that there were unsafe convictions, escaped her scrutiny. She is claiming she isn’t lying and this is the truth and that’s her defence. Everyone else could see it except the person who was responsible for it and was paid to manage these things. Which means that her defence wrests on her absolute incompetency and inability to fulfil the role for which she received numerous bonuses and an OBE. So her lie wasn’t her knowledge of the flaws which ruined lives but her deceiving her ministerial paymasters into thinking she was good at her job? For me? She’d lied about her knowledge of the failings of Horizon and the unsafe convictions AND she also lied about her managerial success. I would love to see how much actual profit was made by Post Office counters and not an inflated figure.

[@luckystarship2275]

An utterly shameless liar.

[@mrsm9974]

She didn’t let anyone off lightly even though they were all innocent. She deserves no leniency, she needs to feel the same pressure x the amount of people whose lives were destroyed. Innocent families are still waiting for their thousands of pounds to be returned, which she stole from them before jailing them. And personally benefitted from the bonuses. Disgusting woman 🤮

[@seanbrown65]

LIAR.... Lock her up!

[@pippipster6767]

Very short clip yet with repeated parts. Not good.

[@michaelmooney1253]

The sooner Vennells, and her chums, are given lenghty prison sentences and fines etc.,the better.

[@alanthomson1227]

Keep on digging you might get a job in Australia .

[@LeeJahn-ih9xu]

Why did she get paid a bonus?? Why hasn’t she been charged, she caused people to kill themselves, she is responsible and she needs to pay for this, disgraceful

[@oiooi6460]

She couldn't lie straight in bed

[@wobblertv8083]

Personification of passive aggressive and cold as a witches t×t .Shes like Dolores umbridge from the Harry Potter films ...To Azkaban Prison with her 😮

[@daveallsopp320]

You didn’t try to address the issues you got yes people to do the dirty work so you could tell the government there is no problems with the horizon system and that the postmasters are guilty

[@jeremyroberts39]

This woman is not a very good advertisement for Christianity

[@raindog77]

Obviously she's protecting the PO, it's her job to protect the Government, she definitely had to keep a lid on it while the sale of The Royal Mail went through, do you think investment would have come in if the Royal Mail was also liable for hundreds of cases of compensation mounting to hundreds of millions of pounds, it's gotta be said ' she earned her bonus 'although she always cracked when the enormity of what she was part of she saved her own ass beautifully. 👏👏👏

[@GGritsun]

I think there is a very good chance she will go to prison for perjury

[@howardosborne8647]

If the establishment itself won't do the right thing and prosecute them then Alan Bates has made it clear his intention is to go for private prosecutions.