Paula Vennells called to Post Office inquiry as investigators branded 'liars'
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells will be hauled to the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal, it has been announced.
Ms Vennells, who was head of the firm between 2012 and 2019, has come under fire after ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office reignited anger over the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of subpostmasters. She was forced to hand back her CBE, awarded for services to the Post Office, after more than a million people signed a petition demanding she was stripped of it last month.
Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey will also be summoned to give evidence about his time as Minister for Postal Affairs between 2010 and 2012. He apologised for the first time this week for his role, saying: “I’m sorry I did not see through the Post Office’s lies – and that it took me five months to meet Alan Bates, the man who has done so much to uncover it.”
Subpostmaster and campaigner Mr Bates, who inspired the ITV drama into the scandal, will also be called to the inquiry. Labour’s Pat McFadden, who was Minister for Postal Affairs from 2007-2009, as well as Jo Swinson, who held the role roughly between 2012 and 2015 have also been asked to give evidence. Among others on the list of witnesses are former Lib Dem leader Vince Cable and Angela Van Den Bogerd, who worked at the Post Office during the scandal and was portrayed by Corrie’s Katherine Kelly in the ITV drama.
They are summoned as the inquiry heads into Phase Five and Six, which will examine issues including governance and how the Post Office and others have responded to the scandal. The phases will run together from April 9 to the end of July.
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It marks an end to Phase Four of the inquiry which saw Post Office investigators, auditors and Fujitsu staff grilled about their involvement in wrongly prosecuting subpostmasters. In their closing statements, lawyers said they had witnessed “a parade of liars, bullies, amnesiacs and arrogant individuals” during the stage.
Sam Stein, who represents postmasters, described a “chorus of cowards” who claimed not to remember details from the period that ruined subpostmasters’ lives. Reflecting on evidence given by investigators and auditors, he said: “In Phase Four, we have seen a parade of liars, bullies, amnesiacs and arrogant individuals giving evidence before you.
“In a lot of cases, our clients have been appalled to see the extent to which Post Office staff members treated subpostmasters as sub-humans. They hounded and harassed and in some cases drove decent and honest men and women to their graves.
“It has been noteworthy, we say, that for every witness who has been brazen about their behaviour, there have been others who have chosen to plead amnesia. We have witnessed a chorus of cowards who deny any memory of involvement in this scandal.”
Catriona Watt, who represents the National Federation of Subpostmasters (NFSP), echoed that Phase Four of the inquiry had seen “one big collective memory failure” among witnesses. She said she was “appalled” by evidence from Post Office auditor Helen Rose, whose false court documents led to the bankruptcy of subpostmaster Lee Castleton, who was played by Will Mellor in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
She said it was “unacceptable” Ms Rose tried to undermine Mr Castleton’s character by telling the court he smelt of alcohol when this was not recorded in other documents at the time and was not true. “It is also unacceptable that when asked by the inquiry why she included these within her witness statements to the court, she just said she couldn't remember why,” Ms Watt said.
In her closing statement, she continued: “The NFSP considers the evidence so far demonstrates a pervading culture of cover up, incompetence, knowingly doing wrong in relation to prosecutions, and an entrenchment of placing corporate considerations above legal obligations and human decency.”
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