The former head of Britain’s Post Office, Paula Vennells, faced an inquiry into a major miscarriage of justice that led to hundreds of branch managers being wrongly convicted of theft or fraud due to a faulty computer system. Vennells broke down in tears as she admitted to making mistakes but denied any conspiracy to cover up the scandal.
Introduced 25 years ago, the Horizon system caused unexplained losses for branch managers, with the Post Office accusing them of dishonesty. More than 900 postal employees were wrongly convicted, some imprisoned and others bankrupted, before the government intervened to reverse the convictions.
Vennells, who was CEO during the scandal, claimed she was unaware of the system’s bugs and defects. The ongoing inquiry revealed her lack of transparency and potential prioritization of business needs over the suffering of subpostmasters.
The inquiry, turbocharged by a television docudrama, shed light on the injustice and garnered support for the victims. The report is expected to be published next year, marking a pivotal moment in addressing the Post Office scandal.