Ex-Post Office boss "opposed stopping prosecutions"
Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells appears at the Horizon IT inquiry next month
- Published
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells ignored calls from the organisation鈥檚 top management team to halt sub-postmaster prosecutions, the Horizon IT inquiry has heard.
Former top in-house lawyer Chris Aujard said that in 2013 the executive committee 鈥渨ere in favour of ceasing prosecutions entirely鈥, but Ms Vennells said 鈥渓imited鈥 prosecutions should continue.
The inquiry is investigating the wrongful conviction of hundreds of sub-postmasters on the basis of evidence from the faulty Horizon software.
Ms Vennells said she is 鈥渢ruly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families".
She added that she is co-operating with the inquiry and 鈥渨ill not make any further public comment until it has concluded鈥.
On Wednesday, Mr Aujard told the inquiry he was opposed to the way sub-postmasters were being prosecuted in 2013.
His said his personal view was that 鈥渃riminal prosecutions cause great stress and anxiety and didn鈥檛 have a place in a business such as the Post Office鈥.
When asked whether Ms Vennells seemed in favour of continuing to pursue cases using evidence from Horizon, Mr Aujard said she was not specific at the time.
Mr Aujard was the Post Office鈥檚 top lawyer from 2013 to 2015, during which time the independent forensic accountants Second Sight, who played a key role in exposing the scandal, were sacked.
When asked at the inquiry if the dismissal of Second Sight lacked fairness and transparency, Mr Aujard said: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 correct - certainly fairness.鈥
At the beginning of his session, Mr Aujard apologised to the wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters and their families for the 鈥渁nguish and suffering鈥 they have had to endure, adding the inquiry has come 鈥渇ar too late鈥 for many of the victims.
Earlier in the day, the inquiry also heard from Mr Aujard鈥檚 predecessor Susan Crichton, who said she was 鈥減ut into a position where I couldn鈥檛 do my job鈥.
She added that former Post Office lawyers Rob Wilson and Jarnail Singh had a "rather unhealthy view" of sub-postmasters.
On Tuesday, the first day of her testimony, Ms Crichton apologised to the sub-postmasters "for the suffering caused to you and your families" and hoped that giving evidence would mean "something like this never happens again".