Ex-Post Office chief Paula Vennells apologised for her role in the Horizon IT scandal after giving her first evidence to the public inquiry on Wednesday (May 22).
Thousands are watching live (and you can too here) as the disgraced former boss faces the first of three days of being questioned under oath in London before retired judge Sir Wyn Williams.
Ms Vennells’ evidence came after the Post Office prosecuted hundreds of subpostmasters between 1999 and 2015 after Horizon, owned by Japanese company Fujitsu, made it appear as though money was missing at its branches.
The scandal has been going on for 25 years, although this is the first time that Ms Vennells has faced public questioning.
On Tuesday (May 21), an email showed Ms Vennells describing potential wrongful convictions of subpostmasters as “very disturbing” more than a year before the company halted prosecutions.
The scandal’s victims urged Ms Vennells to tell the truth in the lead-up to her evidence and “come clean” with any personal wrongdoings.
She said on Wednesday: “I would just like to say...how sorry I am for all that subpostmasters and their families and others have suffered as a result of all of the matters that the inquiry has been looking at for so long.
“I remember looking at one subpostmaster, who said he would like somebody to go and stand outside his Post Office with them so people could know what he had been through.
“I would do that. I am truly sorry.”
Who is Paula Vennells?
Paula Vennells is a British businesswoman and Anglican priest known for her roles in the corporate and religious sectors.
She was born in Denton, Lancashire, in 1959. Vennells attended Manchester University, where she studied languages, and later pursued a postgraduate diploma in marketing.
She began her career in the marketing and retail sectors, holding senior positions at several prominent companies, including Unilever, L'Oréal, Dixons Retail, and Whitbread.
Ms Vennells joined the Post Office Ltd in 2007 and became the CEO in 2012, a position she held until 2019. Her tenure was marked by significant controversy due to the Horizon IT scandal, where many sub-postmasters were wrongly accused and convicted of theft and fraud because of faults in the computer system.
After leaving the Post Office, Ms Vennells held non-executive director roles at companies including Morrisons and Dunelm. However, she stepped down from these positions following the public outcry over her involvement in the Horizon scandal.
Following the revelations about the Horizon system’s failures, there were numerous legal battles, and Vennells was called to testify before parliamentary inquiries. In 2020, the Court of Appeal quashed many of the wrongful convictions. Ms Vennells was ordained in the Church of England in 2006, initially as a deacon and later as a priest. She served as a part-time priest in the Diocese of St Albans, balancing her religious duties with her business career. As of 2021, Ms Vennells paused her ministerial duties amid the fallout from the Horizon scandal.
Ms Vennells is married and has two children.
Why was Paula Vennells made a CBE?
In 2019 she was also made a CBE, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
This was for her Post Office and charity work.
Ms Vennells was a Hymns Ancient and Modern Group trustee and a Future High Street Forum member.
Ms Vennells became a trustee of the charity in late 2008. While small compared with Post Office director salaries, trustee pay rose by nearly 50 per cent to more than £7,000 a year over the time she served.
Ms Vennells collected around £60,000 for her charitable efforts.
In January 2024, Ms Vennells returned her CBE to the King following the Horizon scandal.
A petition with more than one million signatures had called for her to be stripped of the honour.
“I continue to support and focus on cooperating with the Inquiry and expect to be giving evidence in the coming months.” Ms Vennells said.
“I am, however, aware of the calls from subpostmasters and others to return my CBE.”
