Post Office: Paula Vennells only wanted to pay sub-postmasters ‘token’ compensation, inquiry hears

Paula Vennells only wanted to pay wrongly convicted sub-postmasters “token” compensation payments.
Minutes from a February 2014 meeting shown to the inquiry show the then Post Office chief executive complaining that a planned mediation scheme was projected to potentially pay out a total of £100 million.
“It was noted by PV [Paula Vennells] that the projected level of claims was currently c. £100[million], in response to which SS [Second Sight, a forensic accounting firm involved in auditing Horizon] noted that their back of the envelope calculation was of the order of £25 to £50m,” the minutes read.
“PV observed that this was a long way from the figures that were in mind when the scheme was established, which were much smaller, and more of the nature of a ‘token’ with an apology.”
The meeting was attended by Ms Vennells, Chris Aujard, the Post Office’s general counsel respectively, and Ron Warmington and Ian Henderson from Second Sight.
#postoffice #inquiry #horizon
Read more here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024...
Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now:
www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/...
Get the latest headlines: www.telegraph.co.uk/
Telegraph.co.uk and / telegraphtv are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.

[@andyhx]

Just jail these crooks now. Vennels, this liar, the lot.

[@petercumiskey2746]

Exactly.

[@Ken_oh545]

Windering how many times Vennells has contravened the Commandment 'Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness'

[@jonathanfoster2568]

💯

[@peteredwards5364]

Horrible pieces of work the lot of em

[@christinaoconnell7033]

Go to jail do not pass go

[@nimuehstorm3103]

Enough is enough now. Where are the police? Why aren't there any arrests being made? People died over this. Despicable woman.

[@stoneagepig3768]

Not possible while inquiry is still active, I'd like to think that they've been collecting evidence and watching the inquiry to get more evidence so they can act when the inquiry is complete. We can't complain about injustice if they're just thrown in jail without a trial, as much as we would all have little sympathy for them if they were

[@billcobb8514]

Exactly. Why are the police not already involved?

[@Captain_Aardvark]

Executives are rarely if ever held accountable for their actions, which is exactly why they behave as they do. Hopefully as this case shows that their behaviour has now become so egregious, prosecutions will have to follow. However, it still wouldn't surprise me if it were left to private prosecutions even so.

[@spgdoyle]

Is she not negligent in not checking her emails and other documentation before claiming Horizon was robust? If she was selectively blind to the problems surely she was recklessly negligent given the harm done. Also I can't be alone in being sickened by these empty apologies. We all deeply regret and are saddened by what happened to these innocent people. If these POL execs are not making a heart felt apology for what they did then they should be banned from making any apologetic statement. Given the performances so far I get the awful feeling that the conclusion will be c*ck up rather than conspiracy and human error arising from misunderstood objectives and misaligned incentives.

[@michaelhearn3052]

​@Captain_Aardvark not strictly true. The Carillion case saw a number of Execs banned from holding company office as an exec for 5, 6, 8 years. Their details are recorded on the Companies house website. The bar Council and solicitors regularly authorities are also looking closely at their conduct, and have already cautioned and fined some solicitors 20k last year.

[@rosemaryclark9816]

She is very keen to stress that she was not important and not privy to much.What a total liar.

[@wickedwitchoftheeast88]

As she herself publicly stated to parliment she was personally involved in 150 cases! She has lied from the start she's still lying now and trying to distance herself from it all. Yet she had plenty of front to take advantage of a grieving widow who's husband stepped in front of a bus because of what the PO did to him amd yet Angela Van Den Bogerd sits there arrogantly lying through her front teeth.

[@susanbrown1090]

Lies, lies and more lies 🤬🤬🤬this women should be in jail, charged with NOT telling the truth!!!

[@Captain_Aardvark]

I wonder if her salary reflects this. i suspect not.

[@frankmcconnellogue3351]

Everyone of them is blaming the other ,they should have been all brought in together and put in a soundproof room as each are called to testify but no I be t they are all sitting at home watching and so have time to concoct a story .

[@andydudley1775]

does she remember turning up at a widows door after saying they stay away to scare a women who lost every thing to post office to make her sign a NDA through fear of getting nothing .but she does not remember .

[@AnilPatel-tu2qj]

Again, totally discredited. She has lied over and over in the last two days. I hope she is prosecuted and jailed

[@rolandnelson6722]

How would she know she was in prison?

[@user-sj4nh5ku2p]

I feel she will end up in prison: problem is to select a jury who are impartial as would suspect she is the most hated woman ( along with Vennels ) in England. She is totally appalling in every sense

[@Mrfort]

Ramp it up!

[@Musicmyvideo]

Cold. Evil. Repugnant.

[@annem5899]

Well said .

[@gherkamum]

They know it was all wrong but did nothing, Fake apologies, still no empathy or shame…..They all look guilty…..All covering their own backs….Prison

[@belchnasty]

They are only sorry that they got caught!!

[@adrianlloyd6403]

How so many individuals within a public service like the PO, alongside staff inside Fujitsu,aided and abetted by professional services acting for them, could act so immorally and reprehensibly to ruin innocent people's lives, is the totally sickening aspect of what we're witnessing with this inquiry.Shameless, greedy,money-grabbing pond life the lot of them.

[@markcarlon8558]

Very convenient how they all don't remember or don't recall anything that will prove they knew what was going on, and that they had sent innocent people to prison.

[@leskerr9446]

Protectum rectum!

[@mathewdunstan4142]

If the Post Office were able to bring a Private Prosecution against the sub postmasters, then the minute the enquiry is concluded the sub postmasters group and Mr Bates should bring a private prosecution against Paula Vennells Et-Al. I for one would be happy to contribute to the fund for legal fees

[@ChristineParkinson-ek1ll]

Alan Bates has publicly stated that if these liars are not prosecuted he will endeavour to crowd fund to privately prosecuted...I for 1 will donate my bloody food money - THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT

[@barkinmad2296]

@@ChristineParkinson-ek1ll so will I, with pleasure. Bunch of corrupt liars, too many Public servants like this with their feet in the trough

[@markcarlon8558]

Me too.

[@michaelhipperson1554]

I think a few million would be raised. Get David Sherbourne QC to prosecute.

[@soulcarp1]

And I would glad contribute too they need prison time and strip of there assets to pay back there bonuses

[@sg-tp7sc]

I hope Angela and Paula receive jail sentences.for what they done to decent people.they broke them with their power

[@j1mwinn]

More likely to get a seat in the Lords and a massive pension from the post office - these vermin look after each other

[@paulbird3235]

They were a bunch of "look at me, how mighty am I" who had gone totally feral, and didn't care of the consequence of others. They must be put in criminal court and be made accountable for what they have done. 😒😒😒.... How toxic this workplace must have been!.

[@drlegendre]

In a number of cases peoples reputations and lives were ruined by this mess, and the plan was to offer only "token" compensation for all their suffering and loss? Yeah, isn't that just nice? My god but you'd think they'd die of shame!

[@hlwhhlwh2351]

Not if they are sociopaths. They don't have any empathy..

[@markcarlon8558]

Exactly, how can they sleep at night.

[@wendymoney2043]

This woman is some piece of work…😡

[@claire4006]

and an Anglican priest? Great - another black eye for the Anglicans

[@tomcede6428]

Apparently no one in the Post Office management knows what they were doing but were paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to do so. Any auditor with minimal experience would have demanded a print out of each of the questionable transactions. No print out then there was no problem. I do wonder who actually got the money? Of course the same thing is happening with Englands water and sewer companies that were "privatized". The salaries went from reasonable to millions of dollars. Now the rate payers are made to pay more.

[@matkerens6223]

Reply to tomcede. Who got the money. It appears the money was put into a suspense which was was then subsequently allocated to post office profits which vennels bogarde and the others based their bonus payments on. I.e. not only did they defraud the postmasters they then used that huge sum of freed cash to inflate their own salarys and bonus income. Pretty clear evidence Of potential fraud,perverting the course of justice, perjury, lying to parliament. Why the delay in prosecution ?

[@dylwhs]

With all the suicides of former PostMasters, she has blood on her hands and should be prosecuted as an accessory to murder.

[@adrianlloyd6403]

I bet PO management didn't receive 'token' annual bonuses.

[@chriswhite6610]

She,s so hard faced she knew what was going on she just won't admit it😳😳

[@rogernevin7461]

Dark Souless Eyes,trying to defend the indefensible. Greed knows no bounds.

[@mikewhipps3161]

Can't recall, can't remember, wasn't aware, no one told me,

[@hlwhhlwh2351]

And therefore what was their purpose?

[@laupernut]

Imagine if this was a job interview; she'd be shown the door quick, smart, typical management knows nothing, does nothing, and gets paid for their ignorance.

[@samgreen4679]

She keeps wiping her nose because even she can smell the stench of the lies and rubbish coming out of her mouth!!

[@cadelepski5161]

A perfect summary of the last 2 days of questioning.

[@howardosborne8647]

I can't remember what the meeting was about but I can definitely remember it wasn't my fault🤣

[@paulkirby4266]

Can’t believe we are spending all this money going round the houses when every one knows this should be a trial . It would be for anyone else ffs this is sick

[@damianleah6744]

This won’t be the end of it.

[@Englishman-nz3jm]

I think none of the executives involved who will lie and lie will get away with it. The public are disgusted by these people.

[@diannepenny407]

I don't think they're going round the houses. These KCs are bloody skilled. They are drawing out the truth. This lot can then face the dock.

[@nigelb5341]

Damn right!

[@DavidMeikle-ei7fr]

The inquiry seems to be building a case for when Vennels appears in May. If there's any justice, she'll be facing a time in chokey with others hopefully

[@adrianlloyd6403]

Whereas many individuals within the PO management blame processes,other individuals within the organisation and having selective memories at times,Vennells was the CEO at the head of the organisation and can have no one else to blame for her own individual failings,accountability and responsibility in her role.

[@bobenever1322]

This is an inquirer. Prosecutions must follow

[@georgejohnson7591]

Vile vennells will not remember anything and just throw bogey and everyone else under the bus

[@podthesod]

The corrupt and crooked Vennels should be stripped of ALL her assets … and her dog collar … and do jail time with any other convicted crook

[@alanmartin1949]

This Inquiry should be used as a turning point with respect to the (wrong!) type of people who end up earning fat cat salaries plus ludicrous bonuses in British management! These heartless cretins have to be "rewarded" for their failings - their actions put innocent people in prison - now it's their turn to test British prisons!

[@rogerwells6807]

Earning?

[@markcarlon8558]

Let's hope they do get locked up for what they have done.

[@fly9wheel]

I suspect justice will no be served, again!

[@carolmullen4218]

Never in my life have i came across so many people in the one organisation with amnesia.

[@nannieg7622]

It’s the “I wasn’t aware” brigade

[@fly9wheel]

Like the "monarchy money" in plastic bags, which was quietly covered up.

[@mikeellis4345]

Appalling behaviour to want minimise paying token money. How cruel is she ??

[@fatbelly27]

Doesn't seem to be aware of very much, does she? Is she aware that perverting the course of justice carries a 7-year term?

[@richardfagan2546]

Pathological LIAR

[@timhazeltine3256]

And a moral zero

[@colinmiller8361]

The lack of remembering important facts is amazing by all these people. I bet they all can remember what they got paid and the size of their bonuses.

[@f0urstr1ng]

Begs the question how on earth were these people able to so confidently pursue prosecutions if they knew so little? My blood is boiling. How the victims feel I really can’t imagine

[@creativecottage6137]

According to her she isnt responsible for anything or privy to anything, but can remember she got her bonus! Jail now.

[@robertmurray9514]

Shame on them. Innocent people have been jailed, had their lives ruined. This shower of management now only want to plead ignorance of a situation they were in charge of. Hopefully they will be held accountable for their unforgivable actions.

[@allanbland5300]

It’s surprising how many POL senior ranks attended the Nicola Sturgeon School of Amnesia.

[@silky567]

These people...they think there so above us..all need sentences...isn't that fraud,misleading,blatant lies...we want to see punishment,just like the poor people that was blamed!

[@gregjarvis3288]

Why is she giving evidence.........she has no memory or views! What price a life?

[@frankmcconnellogue3351]

As I said before the levels-of amnesia with these people is astonishing ,it must be a prerequisite for getting a job as management with the PO.

[@BenDorm]

The Sub Postmasters should first be given all the money they payed to the Post Office, plus interest. This amount should NOT be taxable. Don’t forget this money was stolen from them by the Post Office. Then they should be payed compensation by the Post Office. In addition, they should be payed a further compensation by Fujitsu . Fujitsu knew there were problems with their Horizon computer software and did nothing about it and they lied about their ability to alter Horizon computers remotely. Angela Van Den Bogerd knew about altering Horizon computers in December 2010

[@joemander7580]

Put them in jail.

[@robertmcbride1859]

The face of pure evil!! I want to see that woman in jail at the end of all this.

[@carrier411]

I can't stand this woman. I'm not British, I'm from New Zealand. I have only heard of this saga a week ago and I'm appalled at the miscarriage of justice and shameful immoral behaviour on display.

[@michaelc821]

Token compensation, for her lies where people were sent to prison....Vennells needs to go to jail now.

[@glendanatalia1]

We did not expect the compensation package to be large.....an organisation put people in jail under false pretension n- as at that time they knew it was an Horizon's problem- , destroy their personal and family ' life and..... they didnt want to pay them proper compensation. Is there any chance these people can be taken to court ?

[@howardosborne8647]

It should never have been within the scope of these crooks powers to decide on prosecutions and most certainly not on the amount of compensation payments due. This is what happens by permitting spurious authorities to create their own rendition of 'justice'

[@juliemaltby9751]

I hope that Alan Bates takes out a private prosecution against all of them how can anyone sit there and lie

[@DigitalPerspectivesUK]

Judge Peter Fraser criticised Van De Bogherd her testimony and said she "did not give me frank evidence, and sought to obfuscate matters, and mislead me". Beer KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, challenged Ms van den Bogerd's opening statement, as he accused her of not saying sorry for her own role in the scandal… The actions and motives were to save money and for personal gain in the way of significant benefits & bonus pay outs!!! Not to protect the brand.., it was to protect shareholders and save the business from going bankrupt!!

[@josephinedewar4469]

And continue to receive bonuses!!

[@patrickhowell5578]

Doesn't she know Vennells will throw her under the bus at the first opportunity. Why defend any of them?

[@MRJERRYCURTIN]

Yes angie and Paula heading for a fall out of note

[@AmyWinehouse9and14.]

Jail Vennells and co for 20+yrs and award each sub - postmaster 1m minimum and a formal public apology. This case has been a total disgrace.

[@davidprocter3578]

one hundred million barely covers the basics. Claims should cover moneys stolen by PO plus interest at 30% per annum compound. Loss of earnings plus interest, substantial damages for incarceration or loss of face, Loss of homes where relevant at current levels. This should also take into consideration loss of earnings of family as a result of PO actions due to days lost in court or ill health due to pressure jobs lost due to post office thievery in fact there are a host of relevant details that should be taken into account, Considering the scale of this scandal and it's many facets. I would also be interested to know by what criteria did the sub postmasters select the cases to take to court????? and why it was so heavily restricted. Was pressure applied????

[@judithpride1690]

I sincerely hope that the police bring the criminal case that they are currently assessing. For the vast sums of money that need to be returned to the subpostmasters and subpostmistresses along with adequate compensation for harms deliberately caused to them and their families I suggest that POL executives be heavily fined, made to pay their own legal fees and imprisoned. The Post Office should then be sold off to Amazon, with all proceeds from the sale used to pay the SPM's their entitlement.

[@robertgavin980]

I no longer touch my post without wearing surgical gloves, for fear of memory loss 😢

[@josephinedewar4469]

😂😂

[@virtualunreality8326]

Someone's pants are very much on fire.

[@v12ngt]

She is currently working as an HR contractor and has recently overseen making 100 staff redundant at a company called Integral UK Ltd, she must be so proud of her contribution to society

[@andrewcottle2899]

A big engineering group and a successful one . Made them redundant before Christmas apparently.

[@josephinedewar4469]

What a snake! Ruthless!

[@BarryR.]

Took her wages under false presences by the sound of it

[@mickhall4776]

What a hard faced liar she came across as Put her in jail

[@Jez-Hero24]

Evil DOES wear a face,she walks amongst us with absolute impunity. Untill these excuses for humans are dealt with true justice then nothing will change.

[@josephinedewar4469]

Hear!Hear!

[@fly9wheel]

I doubt they will get true justice, as they are members of the "elite".

[@StimParavane]

Having women in leadership positions has really improved society. Their compassion and integrity are inspiring.

[@Thor_Odinson]

Oh puhleeze......there are plenty of sociopaths of both sexes filling positions of "leadership". It seems to be a common trait amongst CEOs

[@johnworkman2743]

Easy now to have selective memory. Hopefully, they will all get enough jail time for them to recall everything they did, all they conspired, the situations they manipulated and the lies that they told.

[@JohnnyMotel99]

Guaranteed PV will have sudden onset amnesia 😳

[@nsturgeon7145]

or diarrhea!

[@chungasrevenge4306]

Look out for the mental health card, dealt from the bottom of the deck.

[@nsturgeon7145]

@@chungasrevenge4306 perhaps a long spell in Broadmoor might do the trick, and a face lift 🤣😂🤣😂

[@chungasrevenge4306]

@@nsturgeon7145 🙂

[@nobbyclarke9298]

Awful Woman who has no remorse & just continued taking bonuses & remain arrogant & selective memory like all the Post office scoundrels in this inquiry

[@davidwiltshire6188]

How did such evil people manage to get a position in the first place.

[@fly9wheel]

Money talks?

[@malcolmharfitt4032]

Unmitigated liars - the lot of them.

[@henrybartlett1986]

Hard to believe anything she says, isn't it?

[@PMS1950]

Goodness knows what condition the "buck's" going to be in by the time its ''passing" comes to its final, unhappy recipient.

[@kylerb2]

I think dinner parties and visits to the pub may have dried up for this fibber.

[@MrGavinBoyd]

Will any of those responsible go to prison?

[@williammerritt6137]

I am absolutely certain that most of the problems stem from giving promotion to Post office Management by Their gender rather than on Management Skills .

[@neill392]

Vennels wasn't promoted, she was recruited after a number of executive jobs in major companies. A majority of the people driving the prosecutions were men.

[@rogereade4950]

The Chairman of the Inquiry should be telling these guy's, they should be putting their affairs in order.

[@portcullis5622]

A face chisselled out of granite and a heart to match.

[@1949cr]

Everyone of the senior management team were entirely focussed on bonuses, which meant open slather at a cover-up. It didnt need formal direction. Every one of them bought into it

[@user-ro8dw8ms9n]

I hope the Welsh FA , her current employers find a way to move on this bad smell

[@nickglanville8497]

Let's have a judicial inquiry with proper consequences for these blatant liars swearing on the bible then lying is perjury

[@duckndive.]

We now know what the outcome was.

[@paulsaunders6536]

If this happened in the US the compensation would be in the billions, not millions.

[@ParanormalUKNetwork]

Will the police act? The police will wait until the inquiry is over before they will act. They've already made it clear they're watching the inquiry very closely. I'm not a lawyer, but I've family who are in the legal profession, and they've pointed out to me clear examples of malicious prosecutions, obstruction of justice, perverting the course of justice and other statements and actions that are worthy of a criminal investigation. The public outcry is such that the police will have to act or be seen as complicit in the coverup.

[@fly9wheel]

The police will have to act?

[@allseeingi]

Could this by why they’ve all lawyered up as they are expecting further action after the conclusion of this inquiry ? I for one amongst many am hoping the affected sub postmasters and their families not only receive the appropriate compensation but real justice .

[@ParanormalUKNetwork]

@@fly9wheel "There is clear evidence of criminal activity on the part of Post Office management. - The police will pursue a case when the evidence is such that it warrants investigation and the evidence that the inquiry is producing is clearly sufficient" - a quote from my relative

[@shieldaigbencher]

Join the queue for prison.

[@fatwalletboy2]

Why did she get a bonus anyway? For what?

[@larsfillmore4765]

Why is this NOT a criminal case?

[@fly9wheel]

The UK tradition of protecting the elite.

[@rockinginafreeworld3256]

Give her 10 years so she can reflect and remember.

[@howardosborne8647]

And a further 10 if she hasn't remembered after the first 10 years.

[@fatwalletboy2]

So she looks like she will be in her 80s thenif she gets out

[@keithowen9929]

Anything less than prison for these people would be a disgrace.

[@joangordon3376]

The sub Postmasters should only get compensation when ALL the money that was stolen from them is reimbursed - with interest

[@robertwaye803]

All the people that were in charge of the post office should get there pensions stopped to repay all of the claims let them have some pain.

[@martinobrien7110]

Jail the Pair .

[@johnh1872]

The post office bosses should be ashamed.

[@ewanmckay714]

They all need a few years in jail to mull over their wrongdoings

[@faodail3913]

They need their money back, ALL of it, plus compensation, and out of these women's pockets, for starters.

[@DavidGetling]

This very evil woman MUST be jailed!

[@johnsinclair4111]

Amazing how someone being paid so much remembers so little. When are we going to have a criminal trial? These people should be locked .

[@snappycanon]

F in Slag

[@NannyRose2289]

So the PO made people pay back money they had "stolen", took people to court to recover "stolen" money, but didn't think that the compensation scheme would entail them (the PO) having to pay back the money that they have in fact STOLEN from the subpostmasters (as there never was any missing money in the first place, Fujitsu made it all up!

[@Ken-er9cq]

Feeling that people who went to prison could be compensated with a token amount and an apology, indicates that they still weren’t understanding what they had done.

[@aidiess]

Just look at her body language ! Imagine meeting that on a dark night !! She just oozes compassion for the victims ???

[@trinco5555]

Was that cover up started due to Royal Mail split on 2012 and they wanted clean break rather than massive liabilities and faulty system software? I think enquiry should look into that avenue..

[@davidgrimmett9741]

These top executives at the P O, have not only ruined the lives for all those sub postmaster and mistresses, but also their families and friends, so the consequences have hit thousands of innocent people. And to think so many have since passed away, many of which due to the stress brought upon them. There should be immediate prosecutions after all this intimidation and threats and jail sentences and ruin of good peoples' reputations.

[@janetlowe6448]

She should be thrown in jail

[@ernestscribbler-Inyenga]

She said ….. they didn’t know what the truth was ………… “yeah, right “

[@frandyson6133]

She should be in prison for what she did to the subposters

[@jamesbowskill362]

Of course vennals only wanted to pay the absolute minimum 'compensation'!...... BUT that payment MUST follow the repayment back to the SPMS of the fraudulently obtained SPMS OWN MONEY !..........All those £millions,. disappeared into a PO suspense account, after 6 months THAT, was used by the PO board of THIEVES to pay themselves EXTRA BONUS PAYMENTS....................! JAIL IS TOO GOOD FOR THESE PO THIEVES. BUT THATS WHERE THEY WILL ALL END UP.

[@johnclarke-vs9qe]

"I wasn't aware what the levels of compensation would be" Oh dear, It doesn't seem to bother some of these executives, is it because it's not their money?

[@BigGoucho]

Same with politicians. While they're on the campaign trail, it's "Vote for us, we'll fix everything, we know everything!" but put them in front of an enquiry or a judge and suddenly they supposedly knew (or were capable) of so little, they weren't told anything! Yeah, right!

[@paulsaunders6536]

Perverting the course of justice, surely?

[@JackKing12.]

Pure evil 😈

[@Robert-vw3od]

One of the scandals here is that people are not talking about the level of compensation. The cost of this should be absolutely astronomical. It should vastly outweigh the cost of things like HS2 or Trident . this is corruption from government down

[@jackkarns2484]

As a character in the Mr. Bates series said, “Take their money, it is all they understand.”

[@davebarlow6457]

Looks like nobody is responsible for this massive injustice that these poor people have suffered then ? Absolute liars the lot of them , each one of those responsible deserves to spend some time in jail , even if only for a short period of time. These poor people deserve some form of justice alongside their shockingly low financial compensation.

[@chrismulhern82]

Post office incompetence They even spelt “attendance” incorrectly in the minutes !

[@suescourfield7902]

It’s already quite clear that they all already knew “the truth” - but were just hoping that the truth wouldn’t become public knowledge so they could get away with a token payment and an apology.