Post Office Horizon Inquiry: Day 2 of former boss Paula Vennells giving evidence
Lead campaigner and former subpostmaster Alan Bates has said he has “no sympathy” for Paula Vennells after she broke down twice during her first day of evidence to the Horizon IT inquiry.
Mr Bates said he met “senior” Metropolitan Police staff on Wednesday morning to discuss possible prosecutions following the Post Office Horizon scandal.
He said: “They certainly are going to investigate, I’ve had that assurance and I think the group (of subpostmasters) needs that as an assurance and it’s something that we’ve never been certain of until today.”
During the first day of her evidence to the probe, Ms Vennells stopped mid-answer and reached for a tissue as she was grilled about why she had provided a false statement to MPs that the Post Office had been successful in every case against subpostmasters.
The 65-year-old ordained priest also became visibly upset as the inquiry looked into the Post Office’s response to the suicide of subpostmaster Martin Griffiths in 2013.
Subscribe to the Evening Standard: bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Evening-S...
for latest breaking news from the UK, US and around the world, plus podcasts and features.
Evening Standard on socials:
Check out our full video catalog: / londoneveningstandard
Videos, daily editorial and more: www.standard.co.uk/
Like us on Facebook: www. eveningstandard
Follow us on Twitter: / eveningstandard
and Instagram: / evening.standard
Пікірлер: 34
Not seen, not interpreted, not translated, not an expert, not technical, not heard, not understood, not told, not not not. What did she actually do for a living because she didn’t do a CEOs job
Does she understand anything? She’s the CEO - the buck stops with her but she’s knows absolutely nothing. She makes me sick quite frankly.
Paula Vennells is a typical person in the position she is in because she has no conscience can sleep at night and nothing was here fault, all her asset’s should be sized to pay compensation.
@christophercooper6731
18 күн бұрын
The Baby Jesus is her Lord and Saviour.
She needs to go behind bars.
The last hour was horrible for her. The costa coffee bust up. The 'don't call them bugs' email. The 'token payments' and hope the meditation meant the PO wouldn’t pay compensation email. The lawyer frozen out on second sight for putting her professional conduct and intergrity requirements first. The attempt to recuse the judge.......
@Scott-up3bq
23 күн бұрын
Let's hope it gets worse today
Why does she keep reminding us she was a chief exec, does she not know the responsibilities that come with that position, obviously she loved the title and continues to wallow in the glory of that position but had no concept of the duties and responsibilities she held!!!!
@roswilliams2899
23 күн бұрын
I would suggest that the post office execs saw their and her job as "protecting the brand" just as she herself said some years back to MPs. And that's what she considered was her job. She didn't, nor did the others, see the hounding of SPMs as damaging the brand as PO execs wouldn't expect any fuss about that from the general public. It's the attitude of so many in top jobs and some MPs and how they get and keep those jobs. They are brought up to see it that way. The er minions like us don't matter and our morals or suffering are a nuisance they will ignore. This time it's come back to bite them. It needs to more often - aka water and power companies grabbing huge salaries and bonuses in those so unwisely privatised industries whilst not doing the upkeep they are meant to do. But the PO "owned by us" has ended up with "us" paying for the damage the PO's execs have done to their precious brand. Who paid for the lawyers Vennells and the others are using to protect them during this enquiry? It shouldn't be us but I bet it is us.
she put innocent people in prison and said nothing disgusting behind bars she should be
I have never worked for the post office, I have never been a CEO of a large corporation, I have never been given an OBE but I have answered all the questions easily about what constitutes systemic failure. Why couldn’t she??!
Of course, there was no discussion or attempt to define systemic because they wanted and needed to have it be a moving target that could mean whatever they wanted it to be!!!!
This is what failing upwards looks like
I like the hand movements...a real give-away that someone is evading the truth
Paula Vennells, shows you don't have to be Honest, Smart or Special to apply for or be a CEO of a Company- IN THIS COUNTRY!!!! I will NEVER be afraid to apply for a JOB AS A CEO! 🤣🤣🤣
How come that someone who admits that she has repeatedly failed to say what she means is appointed to lead one of the UK's largest organisations?
Her career demonstrates how nothing succeeds like failure.
Paula "I am going to sack you" What I actually meant I am going to give you a pay rise.
She wanted to offer token compensation. She can't weasel out of this.
Another 'tell' is that when faced with an 'awkward' question, she begins a reply, then stops, and starts another one on a different tack...clearly casting around for a way to fend off the question...the same tactic deployed US College Presidents when questioned by Congress.
Just like any boss they are all in there own world..Any thing but reality..
He: 'That's an answer to a different question.' She: Yes. I know that.'
Instead of 'yes', she prefaces each supposedly affirmative answer with 'I would imagine so', 'I would think so', 'I would believe so', 'as far as I can remember' - which ammounts to near zero etc etc.
She sounds like Boris Johnson! (Takes NO blame- but likes to take ALL THE CREDIT) I know nothing, I was assured everything was good, I was assured we have not broken any rules, I was assured we're following the rules, I don't REMEMBER, I'm SORRY I'm SORRY I'm SORRY- what a JOKE!
So she does not know the meaning of the word ' hope'. Yet she is said to be a devout Christian.
She has obviously been briefed to say as little as possible of any substance, hence the 'I can't remembers' and 'I canit recalls'.
Her responses...or rather lack of them - to questions remind me of those of US University Presidents to criticism of their responses or lack of them to campus anti-Semitism.
She’s a priest, she couldn’t possibly be lying.
What was that Jimmy Nail song again? 🤔 🐊😭
I don't know anything, I am only the boss.
She doesn't k now waht. 'systemic means. Let me supply an example;: Paula Vennells is a systemic liar, repeatedly lying (as with her 'I can't remember') to avoid answering questions truthfully that could incriminate her.