Former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells has admitted to agreeing with a PR adviser in 2013 to drop reviews into “past cases” involving sub-postmasters because it would “fuel” media interest.
The revelation came during the Horizon IT inquiry, which is investigating the Post Office’s handling of its IT system, Horizon. The inquiry was shown an email exchange between Vennells and then director of communications Mark Davies, where Davies warned that reviewing past cases would be “very high profile” and “fuel the story” in the media.
Vennells responded to Davies’ email, stating “You are right to call this out. I will take your steer.” However, Vennells could not recall if she followed Davies’ advice during her testimony at the inquiry.
The inquiry also heard that Vennells had received a “grossly improper perspective” from Davies, and that a review of all prosecutions for theft and false accounting at that time may have prevented a “lost decade” until the miscarriages of justice were discovered.
Vennells, who had apologized for her role in the scandal on Wednesday, continued to express regret during her second day of testimony. She repeatedly said she could not “recall”, “remember”, or “wasn’t involved” in certain aspects of the case.
However, she did admit that an email she sent in August 2013 stating that the “hope of mediation was to avoid or minimise compensation” may have given sub-postmasters the impression that they would only receive a “pat on the head and a token payment”.
Under questioning from counsel to the inquiry Jason Beer, Vennells admitted to attempting to “manipulate language” when trying to downplay issues with the Horizon system. She stated that she had been “wrong and stupid” in her actions.
This news comes as MPs have passed amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, which will quash convictions of those affected by the scandal. The bill only requires royal assent to become law.
