Ex-Post Office CEO should give up CBE over scandal, Tory minister suggests
Former Post Office chief Paula Vennells should "voluntarily" consider handing back her CBE over the scandal, a Tory minister has suggested.
It came as the Postal Minister Kevin Hollinrake was grilled on ITV's GMB over the Post Office IT scandal as victims demanded the Government "gets moving with payments".
In an apology to those impacted the former Business Secretary Grant Shapps said 13 months ago he hoped "most cases can be resolved before the end of 2023". But Mr Hollinrake admitted hundreds of payouts were yet to be finalised as he faced an interrogation by presenter's Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.
They asked the Tory minister: "Why can't we just pay them the money?" Mr Hollinrake insisted on Wednesday the process and claims were "highly complex" and said the Government had committed to a 7 August deadline for making offers.
He also highlighted that Ms Vennells - the CEO of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019 - was awarded a CBE in the 2019 New Year Honours List for services to the organisation. She previously apologised for the "suffering" caused to subpostmasters after 39 workers' convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2021.
ITV's Susanna Reid's holding up The Mirror's front page on the Post Office scandal"I think that matter needs to be looked at," he said. "I've got to say if I was Paula Vennells - ultimately you've got responsibility for what happened, you are the Chief Executive. If I was Paula Vennells I would seriously consider handing that [CBE] back voluntarily". He added: "But we've got an Inquiry... looking at all the evidence. It will report and that should identify who is responsible, in the Post Office or indeed potentially in Fujitsu, and those people wherever possible should be held to account".
Pressed on whether any individual whose lies or dishonesty has led to innocent person going to jail should be prosecuted, he said: "That seems reasonable to me. I'm not a lawyer, I'm not a prosecutor, so there needs to be a legal route to that."
It comes after victims of the scandal still waiting for compensation accused the Government of dragging its heels - 24 years after their wrongful convictions for stealing. It was described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history with more than 700 branch managers prosecuted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015.
One, Alan Bates, demanded the compensation is handed over before more people die of old age, after more than 60 people have already passed away without getting a penny. He said: "Get moving with the compensation. Don't extend the deadline for payments because you can't extend people's lives." The former sub-postmaster, who is played by Toby Jones in new ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, has campaigned for two decades to expose the truth about the IT system glitches that devastated 3,500 staff.
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In an update in December, the Department for Business and Trade said 93 convictions have so far been overturned while the first 27 claims have agreed full and final settlements. It said £138million has been paid out so far to over 2,700 claimants across the three Post Office compensation schemes.
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