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BREAKING: Post Office CEO Paula Vennells lays out her side of the Horizon IT scandal for the first time.
She blames Fujitsu saying they assured her the IT system which generated 'missing' money was 'fundamentally sound'.
Her evidence to Beis Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/1621/documents/15462/default/
She blames Fujitsu saying they assured her the IT system which generated 'missing' money was 'fundamentally sound'.
Her evidence to Beis Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/1621/documents/15462/default/
She blames the Post Office's general counsel saying they made decisions over who to prosecute independently;
PV: 'It would have been inappropriate for me to involve myself in operational decisions made on a case by case basis.'
PV: 'It would have been inappropriate for me to involve myself in operational decisions made on a case by case basis.'
She blames her Chief Information Officers (three of them) saying it was their job to oversee Fujitsu and the IT system;
'I had confidence in [my CIOs]. In short, I believed the systems for reporting, investigating, and rectifying defects were working as they should.'
'I had confidence in [my CIOs]. In short, I believed the systems for reporting, investigating, and rectifying defects were working as they should.'
Vennells admits refusing to hand over some internal Post Office documents to independent investigators in 2015 - two years before she forced postmasters into court.
She said 'the conduct of prosecutions was outside the scope' of the mediation scheme' to compensate postmasters.
She said 'the conduct of prosecutions was outside the scope' of the mediation scheme' to compensate postmasters.
And the UK Government - which own the Post Office - were fully aware of everything via their directors on the board
Vennells: 'Horizon came up... at the majority of Board meetings... The UKGI (UK Government Investment) directors were fully engaged in the discussions.'
Vennells: 'Horizon came up... at the majority of Board meetings... The UKGI (UK Government Investment) directors were fully engaged in the discussions.'
