Paula Venells’ Post Office testimony: ‘astonishing announcement of her ignorance’
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- “She was either telling the truth but displaying an incompetence of gargantuan scale, or she was not telling the truth.”
Pauls Vennells' testimony for the Post Office inquiry was an “astonishing announcement of her ignorance,” says Lord Arbuthnot.
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I honestly do not understand how corporate culpability works in the uk. I spent 36 years working off shore and 20 as a ships captain. There was nothing that happened on these vessels I was not responsible for. No excuses about I didn’t know, or someone else did something. It was my job to know what was going on and who I was employing. Any serious matter could have resulted in me being suspended, fined or imprisoned whether I was directly responsible or not. How these spineless slugs are allowed to weasel their way around and evade giving truthful answer makes me sick to my stomach. Every single person in the PO & Fujitsu hierarchy should be serving hard jail time along with along with forfeiture of assets
The bosses always get away with it. I don't think there is any liability law (except for the ordinary people of course).
Excellent analogy - and I’m sure your crew and customers felt more confidence in your leadership as a result.
It's a game. The more money you've got, the longer you can stay in the game. Hallelujah 🙏
Well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Christ knows how they got through University not being able to remember anything
Given her admitted lack of knowledge, can we please have her £700k per year salary back on the basis of total incompetence
I worked in the NHS for almost 40 years. During that time I saw many CEOs come and go. Many, if not most, were unfit for their jobs. They mastered the art of not becoming aware of uncomfortable facts or tackling detail. They surrounded themselves with people who agreed with them. Most of them were not of a particularly high intellectual calibre. The system for appointing these people was deeply flawed and depended far too much upon "who you know" rather than on "what have you achieved and what can you do". The Post Office is obviously exactly the same.
agreed. My cousin was a ceo of a national organisation he only got in as he knew important people, he knew relatively little about the subject of the organisation
Proud nhs kidde fiddling enablers
Mates giving mates jobs. A number of these people hold positions across different industries. A flaw in the UK without a doubt.
Jobs for the boys not what you know but who you know most of the if it’s PO
a complete waste of money . Lazy , indifferent gormless that’s the qualities in public services
That’s the culture unfortunately it has to be broken otherwise we are sunk & not coming back up again
And to think she was awarded a CBE for her outstanding incomptence!!!
Promote ☝ 🤮
Careless But Employed!
The forensic accounting firm told her the software was flawed back in 2013! She fired them.
Yes, that is very damning against her indeed. I look forward to her being confronted with questions on this point.
It was known from the very start that the software was flawed. It was detected in the early stages of testing. The vendor knew, the Post Office knew.
Isn't she now ordained in the Church of England. If so, it just gets worse.
She fired them because she is severely allergic to facts. She is enamoured of fairy tales and lies.
@jeanne90275 : Because it was not the answer she wanted to hear .....
That Paula Vennells testimony in full :
"I was in charge, but I didn't know anything, and nobody told me anything".
Nurenburg all over again
and “too trusting”. Ie place the blame on someone else. Ghastly woman.
..and I didn’t want to know if it affected my bonus .
That's what they're all saying. I don't recall, I don't recall..... I don't recall. Absolute liars trying to save their own skins, whilst blaming others.
You forgot to add “and they paid me big bucks & bonuses to not know anything”
Alan Bates has been remarkable and diligent throughout this incredible debacle. Well done Sir!
Perhaps she did not read a newspaper or watch the news? Poor soul was unaware of the MANY prosecutions undertaken by the Post Office and which THE COUNTRY knew about!
She doesn’t sound too bright
All it proves our University Educated Elites Cannot think outside the box . “ Do as your told not as I do but as I say !”
Its a case of given the job and ridiculous salary because of who she knew nothing to do with her ability then her main priority is justify the ridiculous salary by pretending everything is great and ignoring the sinking ship around her.
She chose to be willfully ignorant.
Jason Beer is just amazing. So patient in the face of such dissembling. His forensic questioning, polite yet unyielding is a revelation. He deserves every penny of his fee. The post office seems to have been run by a bunch of incompetent amnesiacs.
I think there may be rules he has to follow in regards to the inquiry. I'm sure there are times when he wants to scream at all of these people. Core participant lawyers don’t hold back though🇦🇺
No, not amnesiacs, just liars
A practised and accomplished liar.
Bet she would REALLY cry if she were locked up
Lies & deceit old fashioned Post Office practises
WHEN and for How many years NOT IF!
@@trevorhart545 I admire your confidence. As for me, I doubt it.
It's not a criminal trial. It's an enquiry under oath.
She appears to be a psychopath.
Post office, water companies, banks, watchdogs; what kind of people are running our important institutions?
Tory chums.
Looks like elite generations of inherited wealth moving & ruining industry it’s like a plague of bad management & governance
Bankrupt political elites not fit to Rule but Misrule
Police , Universities, Parliament!
NHS NHS NHS NHS NHS ..CV19 INJECTIONS NHS NHS NHS NHS OXFORDZENICA INJECTION
I am a Canadian who has been following this story for some time. I feel such empathy for the people whose lives were destroyed by this scandal.
Are you following this in Canada, if so how, I have friends there who would also like to follow the inquiry?
I have been watching from Australia on TH-cam. First came across the story while listening to Steve Lehto a Michigan lawyer on TH-cam. He was sent the story by someone in the UK, this was before the ITV drama🇦🇺
Until people go to prison this will continue. In all levels of society.
Until the right people go to prison, you mean. Sub-postmasters went to prison. But they shouldn't have.
The common theme of this inquiry is that nobody read any email, remembered any conversation or had any reason to question anything at all. Really! Do they really think their comments are believable? It is disgusting and I really hope legal proceedings are very close. This must never be allowed to happen again.
Pay back the bonuses she didn’t do the job
Not just the bonuses, her £700+ pay for many years.
Pay back the £5 million she happily trousered, plus her house, car, and her liberty for the rest of her life.
Let's see if she can fully understand how the 555 felt when they had a £15,000 falsified bill turn into £300,000 bill due to the lawyers.
Why spend so much in excess of the original alleged debt to prove a case?
It's like spending £100k on prosecuting a theft of a jumper from a shop.
Or, more pertinent, spending £5000 on barristers to fight a £9000 council tax bill.
Shameful.
£5.1 million I believe.
Bonuses?. Some of her wages were paid by me, I want my money back with interest.
@@mrechelon7051 In a matter where the costs can be recovered there is an arguable (albeit immoral) justification for spending on such high cost lawyers. It is significant that Lee Castleton, in 'losing' his case, did not have the resources to pay the other side costs, and the Post office knew it. But to the Post Office it was money well spent to 'prove in court' that Horizon was sound, they used him as an example to others, and his case to be presented as evidence in other cases. And that, dear lawyers, is evil.
And go to prison. There are consequences.
I don't believe a word that she says.
But she is a Christian, and Christians don't lie 🤨
And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t believe a word that she says either.
same here
Just another corporate sociopath. All about the numbers, not a scrap of humanity. The remorse is a lame attempt to sway the widespread disdain for The Post Office’s crimes under her so called leadership. She should be prosecuted in the same egregious manner that the sub-postmasters were.
Yeah, sociopath crossed my mind too.
She is not even good with numbers. Remember Talk Talk? Her previous "playing field"?
She shows a lot of red flags. Read Snakes In Suits by Paul Babiak and Robert Hare for insight into psychopaths in the workplace.
The tears are real but they’re not for the victims they are for her personal consequences in my opinion
@@CYCHIATRICthanks. Will do.
She should be forced to pay back her bonuses and spend the rest of her life in prison with the rest of them at the top of the Post Office and Fujitsu.
Who was it that pushed the Fujitsu system after the post office tried to decline to implement it
I was a postman for 28 years and was actually proud to wear the uniform , I’m retired now but always quick to tell others that I worked for the GPO, The job was based in honesty , I don’t know why but I feel very let down by Paula Vennells ,thanks for taking that proud feeling away from me .
“The Post Office knew that, I completely accept it. Personally, I didn't know that” you WERE the Post Office for Christ’s sake🤬🤦🏻♂️
She’s lying. When cornered and confronted with her vile actions she cried and played the victim card. 😡
Indeed - turning on the waterworks once you’ve been caught is pretty low - she had plenty of time and plenty of opportunities to do the right thing, and she didn’t. Either those tears are crocodile tears, or she’s crying for herself - she demonstrated by her actions when she could have helped, that she doesn’t care a jot about the postal staff.
Send her down. For a long time.
She is lying for God. 🤣
Woman's favoured response when cornered yet still won't admit guilt.
@@kevinmaltby4202 She is far too much of a sociopath to admit guilt.
@@K1lostreamthey were crocodile tears for sure she isn't sorry for what she did she's sorry she got caught and is now under the same massive stress the subpostmasters/mistresses were except they were innocent and Vennells is guilty
Bloody well prosecute the liar... Oh and crocodile tears.
They were selfish tears.. getting upset because what was being uncovered was SO bad, it looked bad, it sounded bad - to put it mildly, and being found out by everyone in the world made her cry , but I doubt it was in shame, it was in fear of being prosecuted and ending up in jail herself!
@@JaniceNattress Sadly i don't think anyone will spend a day in prison
@@BrianFairlambI saw Lord Arbuthnot being interviewed on another channel earlier & he said that prosecutions are very likely so fingers crossed he is right.
A handful of people running this country to the ground right in front of our own eyes.
That is an accurate summary of the situation in 17 words!
"Too trusting"....except for the innocent people you sent to jail.
This
Venells was clearly totally unsuitable for the role as a CEO but she must face the Legal consequences for her Companies life changing situations
I think the problem at the the top of our institutions from Banks, Post Office NHS etc is arrogance & contempt for the people or the public the ordinary people it's abhorrent & wicked & usually covers up gross incompetence as in this case
She's absolutely lying. I'm from BG and if an engineer was sacked EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT IT from upper management to grass roots. How on earth can they be prosecuting hundreds and she doesn't know. A complete liar.
Actually I believe she said she knew about prosecutions but did not know extent - also she said she did not know PO had prosecutorial power until 2012
Lock her up.
No,make her pay financially and brand her a lier,and her dog collar must be removed.
@@malcolmleyland7610 THEN lock her up for the rest of her life. Along with all the others who did this. They all knew.
She relied on plausible deniability without understanding what plausible is!
Her ‘performance’ was appalling. She lied again, again and again. The evidence is within the enquiry. How could she distance herself so much and not take accountability? 🤮
The only thing she knows how to do is to lie.
She's going for the excuse of incompetence rather than the truth of her criminality.
Love the fact the enquiry put a large colourful box of tissues on her table. Almost like they knew she'd cry.
We can all cry when we get found out!
If she doesnt spend the rest of her life in jail with all her wealth given to the victims there is no justice.
The English "establishment" will look after her as they always do.
This demonstrable sociopath is upset solely because she's cornered.
yes
Sge has been caught!
If prison is good for the victims then it is good for the predators.
It would be nice if her bank account could be "adjusted" without her knowledge
Hahaha. Good one.
Unfortunately no size of account adjustment can restore to life even one of the former sub-postmasters who ended their own lives, destroyed by the lies and greed of the rich and powerful.
I am sure that she has completely safe-guarded all of her assets in a way that would make it impossible to ever make any adjustments. People like her, that is what they do. Their best skill is getting away with the most diabolical evil acts.
Take Her Away, she’s insulting our intelligence
Never seen as many crocodile tears and the words i don't recall that being used. These sub post masters have paid back more money than they will get in compensation. Give these people what they are due to and more. Paula needs to hand over her big payout.
Is being a callous, lying predator the prerequisite for becoming an Anglican bishop?
It would appear so.
Criminal trials needed
She knew exactly what was happening and conspired to cover it up she should be on trial and end up bankrupt and serving a prison sentence like the innocent postmasters did ...
Tears mean " poor me" no thought for her organisation's victims.
she would make a good MP as they like to lie lie and lie again
And she is a Preacher!!! If she told me the time, I would instantly buy a watch!
She's followed in the shoes of another preacher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, only found God after making £millions in big companies. They haven't a clue how ordinary people struggle. Odd that neither of them became ordained when they were young and starting out on life. How can you trust sanctimonious millionaire priests who live in ivory towers.
ridiculous woman - does she really think we are going to fall for this tissue of lies!!
Yes!!!..she won't be jailed.
One: she does not and cannot think.
Two: she regards everybody else as fools.
Three: the only thing she knows how to do is to lie.
Vennels needs to be held accountable for her actions, she is covering her disgraceful back.
She said she was unaware that the Post Office was a prosecuting authority...this would be high on the briefing/induction programme when she took control.
It's no good all the people in charge pleading ignorance and escaping accountability when others lives have been ruined or worse
The astonishing thing about this enquiry is that the Post Office has behaved appallingly, but nobody seems to believe it is his or her fault. We keep hearing the mantra that "I did not know." or "Nobody told me." Paula Vennells was accountable for what went wrong in the Post Office, regardless of whether she knew exactly what was happening. I suspect Horizon may have been low on her personal priority list, so perhaps she gave it insufficient attention, or even considered it an irritant that wasn't important. If so, it was a grave error of judgement.
To call it a grave error of judgement is an understatement. It was a lethal error of judgement.
Prison = Accountability in this scandal. No question about it.
She wasn’t ignorant. She is a LIAR
Why is persecuting these thief’s taking so long ???????? If this was the ordinary person they would have been thrown in jail many years ago still being locked up until today !!!!!!!!!!!!
They have friends and they are not ordinary people.
When you study change management, the first thing you learn is: the hardest thing to change is an organisation's culture. People are too comfortable and have too much to lose by it.
Referring to "the Post Office" as the 3rd person reinforces the image that she is fundamentally not a good person! For the purposes of how this was handled she WAS the Post Office and attempting her attempts to blur that distinction must only rub salt into the wounds of those affected.......! I wonder if she still waxes lyrical from the Pulpit? Her previous actions certainly suggest sufficient brass neck!!!
She's only crying as she is being held to account.
There were no actual tears, this witness appeared to cry.
She's liyng. We should arrest her asap
Surely this rises to the level of a crime?
Sinks?
Not in England mate. Interesting to see what happens.
Liar and now found out. Knowing Guilt makes you cry!
Crying is a self service...she doesn't feel guilt...maybe remorse as it could end her life for the foreseeable future.
She knows her lies are being unravelled and it's only the start.
Our country is riddled with these corrupt liars receiving huge bonuses for what,spineless cowards who need to pay for their actions and do some real work……
Crocodile Tears. Go to jail---- Do not pass Go.
She is trying to hide behind tears ,...PUT HER IN PRISON NOW
Her proclaimed ignorance is not credible.
I believe in UK law, ignorance is not a defence so, whether she’s lying or telling the truth about that, she ought to still get a lengthy prison sentence.
People’s lives were ruined, some to the extent that they saw no way out and took their own lives to make the misery stop, and she presided over it - if she knew nothing, she damn well should have realised SOMETHING was up because of the scale of it - I can’t think of a scenario where Vennells is not culpable.
I can’t imagine that she didn’t pick up any signals that there were serious issues/problems. Even if she was ignorant, it was here job to find out what was going on.
@@K1lostream The legal term for this behaviour is negligence, which is actionable in criminal law.
One of her duties was to know. She was being paid to know. Her performance amounts to criminal negligence, and people have died as a result.
Vennells remembers with great clarity anything that puts her in a good light, complete memory loss on anything that doesn’t. 🤔
"Oh, what a tangled web she weaves, when first she practiced to deceive"
I knew nothing, I saw nothing, I was just following my own self serving orders!
'"I was too trusting" = I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn't ask my staff for straight answers. She is now trying to position herself as a victim, to obscure her own incompetence.
Being most polite called there as an ignorance.
When a blatent arrogance is more the truth.
Hold these people accountable to disincentivize this type of behaviour. If the rewards are great and there’s little risk of accountability even if you’re caught why not take the risk. This woman ruined people’s lives for her own benefit. Her life now needs to be ruined in the same way. Part of the problem is that the decision makers in this case will have one eye over their own shoulders worrying about the sketchy things in their own past and not wanting to set precedents… It should be a jury of the common people deciding her fate, not a peer who has never felt the hardships of the rest of us who support them…
Institutions are put above individuals in the UK.
It's a certain type of person,with certain character traits that get to these lofty positions. Not every single one of them,but most of them. They GENUINELY feel they are better people than you and I and care not one bit,not one bit about other people. They are genuine narcissists. Horrible.
All those found to be lying need to be jailed. Simples.
Just what do you need to know to be a CEO?
Not a lot ,it seems 😂
Chief executive job description: sit in my fancy office, go to virtue signalling meetings and wait for the bonus.
Obviously not fit for the job, return the salary.
Perhaps try easier questions like “do you know what a post office is ?” or ‘can you use the bathroom on your own?”
😂
She was not up to the job or she is telling lies,she can’t hide behind her dog collar anymore she must be made to pay.💩👎
A Diversity Hire in Shoulder Pads.
She's continuing to lie.
There are two fundamental selection criteria for a CEO - honesty and competence. Venells lacked at least one, probably both. So, did she get the position on “merit”, or was it a gender-biased ‘DEI’ appointment? She was certainly one of the villains, but was she the ultimate villain?
Lying, both factually and emotionally, is the only thing she knows how to do.
Well her mouth is moving!!!!!!
@@anthonymorris2276 Well she didnt get it for her beauty thats for sure!
Yes, who is the main villain!
She was promoted beyond ability but her narcissism dictated that she could blag it, accept a huge golden goodbye and an honour from royalty AFTER the sheer horror of the debacle had emerged. Now she is trying to cover up for her inadequacy with dishonesty and is looking pathetic in the process. Such important positions should be given to the best person for the job. Vennells appointment looks like it was a ludicrous box ticking exercise which should be scrutinised by the inquiry and lessons learned. We’re all paying the price for that decision now to a greater or lesser extent.
She and other execs didn't want to know how badly flawed Horizon was because it appeared to be doing exactly what it was designed to do. Increase profits by reducing losses which management all assumed was previously being stolen by subpostmasters. So when prosecution rates spiked, all the execs fooled themselves into believing it was proof that horizon was working as intended, that is to capture fraud. The last thing they wanted to accept was that horizon itself, the monster they created, was actually committing the fraud against innocent subbies. This is classic , head in the sand, corporate culture where nobody is willing to speak up about uncomfortable truths about ill gotten gains on their balance sheets. This toxic culture is what turns corporations into powerful psychopathic hive minds with disastrous consequences for it's victims.
Given the vast costs involved in the prosecutions, it is incredulous to believe she wasn’t aware. As CEO she sat on the board where all the financial expenditures are analysed and explanations have to be given. There is no way that type of expenditure went unnoticed and unexplained. WE ARE NOT FOOLS
..and she thought giving back her medal would be enough ...
It's skin crawlingly uncomfortable listening to her lies and seeing those false tears.
At board level, such wilful gross negligence, ignorance or incompetence should result in jail time and a huge fine.
As a CEO she admitted she needed a 2nd document to understand the technology offered in the review document , how does she qualify for her position in the first place and offer defence off a system she admits she didn’t understand
Which MP put her forward for a gong and what reasoning was given for awarding her a gong I suspect they thought at the time she was competent, without any due diligence in checking if she actually was.
@michaels8638 - my bet is she was rewarded for her "crimes" in persecuting the innocent postmasters.
ALL MPs knew about the issues as Andrew Bridgen wrote to ALL MPs years ago about the scandal !!!!
On day one in a new job you would receive an orientation about the organisation. I refuse to believe that the fact that the Post Office, uniquely, has prosecution and investigation powers is not routinely mentioned during that orientation for every member of staff!
The Sgt Shultz defence yet again.
“I know nothing
I see nothing
I hear nothing”
Experienced executive ýes ! Intelligent woman .. yes ..
Liar .. yes..
In all of this I really feel for the poor people who has had to sit through all of this just knowing Paula vennels and her cronies sitting telling one lie after another they all need to be held to account for this crime hit it where it hurts in their pockets take everything away from them and put them in prison As they didn’t give a toss for what they done to 900 good people they Ruined their lives
Of course, there had to be tears. Appalling.
Not uncommon at all for senior people to try and maximise later deniability to not ask important but difficult questions. On the other hand, she may just be lying.
The tears were scripted to be turned on at the most difficult questions as a distraction . I'm NOT distracted , I'm listening to what she says not what she does .
None of these theatrics are working with me , and few (but the most GULLIBLE ) will be taken in .
She and a few more have conspired in a story that will get them off by muddying the waters .
Big surprise? When do the people at the top and getting the big money ever take real responsibility for their actions ?
That woman needs to be prosecuted. She is not thick and I believe she knew. Because of her inactions many peoples' lives were wrecked. Well done Vennells.
It's shocking how extremely well paid bosses get away with utter incompetence when no one below them would get away with anything and simply be fired. We are always told big bosses pay is high due to the responsibility but they are never held accountable so there is no high responsibility.
She can afford plenty of holidays, to recover from this humiliation.
The Woman was shedding tears because she is starting to be held to account.
Just look at her eyes! tells you everything you need to know about her!
I was wearing a balaclava and I brought along my own shotgun, but I was completely unaware that I was attending a bank robbery.
Ha Ha.
Yes indeed we do have organisations you can complain to they go under the name of the Ombudsman, if you've had the pleasure of trying one out you'll know how pointless it can be to raise an issue to an organisation whose paid by the company your complaining about! I have a lot of respect for Lord Arbuthnot and his role re SPM, but there will also be questions to answer by MP's / Government as to why they were asleep at the wheel.
There won’t be a single jury member across the isles who won’t find her and the other PO mob guilty when this hopefully ends up in criminal court. Justice for the subs!!!💪🏻