Paula Vennells

If she represents a "woman of the cloth" then God help us please.

Aveline

I've always wondered about that too. There must be a bulging account somewhere.

Did that not contribute to the Post Office profits which magically changed from a massive loss to a profit of several millions when Ms Vennells was in charge?

OldFrill

Freshair

Was anyone from Fujitsu at the Inquiry? I might have missed it.

Yes

Earlier in the year.

However, I'm sure there should be more to come out about their role in this.

Fujitsu Europe director Paul Patterson apologised to sub-postmasters wrongly convicted during the scandal, when he appeared before the inquiry on Tuesday (16 January).

Mr Patterson said: “To the sub-postmasters and their families, Fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in this appalling miscarriage of justice

We were involved from the very start. We did have bugs and errors in the system. And we did help the Post Office in their prosecutions of subpostmasters. For that, we are truly sorry.

Freshair

Was anyone from Fujitsu at the Inquiry? I might have missed it.

Yes

Private Eye has been covering this scandal for years and they were ignored. Radio 4 covered the story several years ago.

Was anyone from Fujitsu at the Inquiry? I might have missed it.

The mention of the Peter Principle is interesting although I don't think everyone is promoted to the level of their incompetence. Many just below the top tier are excellent at their jobs but realise the top job is not worth the cost in time, workload, responsibility and being removed from their particular areas of expertise, which they actually enjoy.

Enter the supremely self- confident candidates who have climbed via the management ladder; no particular relevant skills to their field, but skilled at self-promotion, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, taking unpleasant decisions affecting others, and making valuable contacts.

Becoming increasingly evident in the NHS, Education Academies, Industry and Finance, particularly Banking (Alison Rose).

She needs to be put on a community service order for the next 10 years, working for no pay. I started to watch the live trial but she made me feel sick, such false tears just because she has been found out.

Urmstongran

Good morning everybody today’s Matt cartoon made me laugh.

Then after being told she would immediately forget.

Good morning everybody today’s Matt cartoon made me laugh.

I've always wondered about that too. There must be a bulging account somewhere.

I watched her for three days and she seemed unaware of how
damning her answers were.And where has all the money gone that the subpostmasters paid “back” because no money was
lost/ stolen in the first place?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Vennells
She read Russian, French and Economics at the University of Bradford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1981.[

Vennells began her career as a graduate trainee at Unilever in 1981, and went on to work for L'Oréal, Lunn Poly, Dixons Retail, Argos, and Whitbread.[3][5] In 2007 she joined the Post Office as group network director.[6] On 1 April 2012, she became its chief executive officer (CEO).[7] During her time as CEO, the Post Office went from losing £120 million in 2012/13 to reporting a profit of £35 million in 2017/18.[8] The liabilities now known to have accrued over that period due to the Horizon scandal, however, were estimated in early 2024 to be £160 million in compensation and £298 million in ongoing legal fees already paid,[9] and £1 billion of taxpayer money set aside for future compensation.[10

ect ect

southwestgran

If you think this is bad wait till you find out about the covid fraud!

So why do you not start a separat thread on this subject, and not bring it into a thread where it is not relevant.

Why is it that the judgement of ordinary non highly paid individuals is more astute than the highest paid & highest promoted.
Why didn't the legal bods pick up this case years before?
There's something weird going on, as this kind of stuff seems to be happening everywhere you look. The police, judiciary, politics ....

She seems to have rocketed forward and I wonder what her early colleagues would say about her talents. Was she marked out as different, brilliant -or average, unremarkable ? There surely must have been something remarkable about her talents to get her to that position. It's all so sad.
I remember watching a newly ordained female minister and saw that she was mainly interested in hobnobbing it with the big-wigs in the community, not in a small child who was trying to talk to her, tugging at her sleeve.....no interest from what I could see ....said it all. All about power and status.

People are rightly critical of Vennells, a disgraceful waste of human space, and she was aided and abetted by others in the PO hierarchy, desperate to try and disguise the errors.

Please don't forget the part played by Fujitsu, who wrote that wretched system, and played a considerable part in perpetuating the problems.

Oh, and finally, a word for the good old C of E, who as many know, had Vennells on a shortlist to become Bishop of London. Not a peep from them so far about lack of judgement, but that IS the organisation who not so many years ago were so keen to hide pervert priests away from the forces of Law & Order, right up to Archbishop of Canterbury level. Has Welby suddenly started avoiding interviews and PR bulletins?!?

[It's a long time since I was at Sunday School, but have they updated the 10 Commandments? Promoted into the top-10 recently have been :- Thou Shalt Not Get Found Out, and Thou Shalt Continue Shafting the Innocent in order to keep Thine Own Sanctimonious Backside on a Comfy well-paid seat? ]

Would have thought that her disgustingly high payouts could be claimed back under the legislation which allows illegal money to be taken back from criminals

I worked in the City for a long time before starting my own business. It was very unusual for women to be promoted. They were generally considered to be incompetent. This was a long time ago. Then all of a sudden, women were being thrust out there in top jobs. Very exciting for them I’m sure but scary too when they maybe didn’t have the required qualifications.
My training took a long time working in shipping, insurance, banking and particularly the food industry.

Maggiemaybe

Actually, Computer Weekly first reported on the scandal in 2009.

Vennells didn’t become head honcho of the Post Office until 2012. There must be others who need to be held to account as well.

Yes Computer Weekly was the first - but Private Eye followed shortly after.

It was years later before the mainstream press caught on to the scandal

Actually, Computer Weekly first reported on the scandal in 2009.

Vennells didn’t become head honcho of the Post Office until 2012. There must be others who need to be held to account as well.

merlotgran

She’s just had a roasting on HIGNIFY particularly from Ian Hislop who got a round of applause.

She really is Britain’s most hated woman.

Good for Ian Hislop!

Private Eye started reporting on this in 2011 - when Nick Wallis spoke to the family of jailed pregnant Post Mistress

It feels like conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Those leading it need to be tried for it.

Watched her wriggling- lying, trying to manipulate and claim sympathy by screwing up her ratty little face and blubbering. What a miserable excuse for a human being! Loved it when Tim Maloney ( the last inquisitor yesterday, brought up those last emails that showed her up for the evil thing that she is. She looked like she’d been chucked out of a plane without a parachute. GOTCHA !!

Totally agree with you

As all on this site Paula Vennells is an utter disgrace. A disgrace to the church. A disgrace to the disgraceful post office. A disgrace to this country.
Does she really think her pathetic apology? Her turning on the water works will work? Or give her any sympathy from all those whose lives she has destroyed or even the British public!
I just hope and pray that a civil case will be brought against her and her subordinates and closest colleagues and that they all go to prison!
There is nothing else - no pardon, no forgiveness for the destroyed lives.
Yes her religion believes in forgiveness but she has to admit to what she has done before forgiveness and to date she has just denied everything!
How ever was she promoted to such a position I just cannot understand. She is totally inept and incompetent.

I was compelled to watch her 3 days at the inquiry. All the lawyers were spot on.
Now there is only one thing for Paula Vennells and that is to give back her bonuses, pension and be sent to prison