Secret recording 'final proof' former Post Office boss Paula Vennells knew about Horizon issues

a politician who campaigned for sub postmasters wrongly accused in the Horizon Scandal has tonight told ITV News that the former head of the post office Paul lenel should face serious consequences last week we exclusively revealed the post office tapes secret recordings which showed how investigators told miss fennels about the issues with the Horizon it system back in 2013 Lord abot says the recording answers a question campaigners have been asking for years what she knew and when as our investigations correspondent Daniel huitt reports if you want to benefit from the way the government is moving with the question of what Paul of venel knew and when has long hung over the post office Scandal just to let you know Paul has now joined us yeah hi Paul hi PA a secret recording obtained by ITV News last week revealed the former post office boss was told as early as 2013 of allegations Branch accounts could be accessed remotely at fujitsu's HQ in brel and warned not to cover it up by investigators the last thing you want is a a spot review response that says categorically there was no access to live data from brachnell if in a week's time some bloody whistleblower pipes up to say well actually I was working in the second floor and we routinely did X let's be clear we still have allegations here of miscarriage of Justice now the politician who helped expose the Scandal depicted here in the ITV drama says the recording proves exactly what Miss venel knew and when this is the final proof that establishes the answer to that question because Paul lenel was in on the warnings given by Ron warmington and Dean Henderson that remote access was possible and that it would be very dangerous for her to continue to assert as she did continue to assert that remote access was not possible what should be the consequences for her here do you think very very serious retribution needs to be visited on these people who visited such terrible things on the sub postmasters and we can tonight reveal that at that 2013 meeting Paul lenel was also told of James arnot's concerns that the Ren it system had bugs and defects yet the post office was still continuing with prosecutions I think you would be ill advised to do anything other than to paint that as black a picture as you can not to to in any way try and minimize the apparent uh impact of the disclosure that's got to be made because he's questioning if you knew about it all that time ago why didn't you tell me about it that's what he's saying I guess a better answer is why would we but what did Paula venel have to say about all of these concerns well her only contribution to the meeting was to ask why James abuot was becoming so irritated with them for that I think the only question in my mind at the moment is to try to understand what might have changed his position do you have any thoughts on that he remarked on the fact that prosecutions were still continuing I think he expected the whole process to be kind of Frozen while the investigation was going on even though it's taken a year if only more time had been spent worrying about sub postmasters like vipin Patel wrongly convicted of stealing £34,000 from his branch in Oxfordshire in 2011 and forced to wear an electronic tag the fact that she knew about it and possibly the rest of them knew about it the the whole Saga of the postmasters could have been sorted at that time post office could have saved a lot of grief and Trauma inflicted on sub post Masters and other family for those whose lives were destroyed Justice cannot come soon enough um Dan what have those involved had to say about these Taps well Paul of venel um has responded to us now with a statement VI her legal team she says says I continue to support and focus on cooperating with the inquiry and expect to G be giving evidence in the coming month she says I'm truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub postmasters and their families whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system there is no doubt though Charlene ahead of that appearance at the Post Office inquiry political press is building the Prime Minister today said that the victims deserve answers and Justice and the leader of the lib Dems Ed Davey said it's there's growing evidence that Executives from the Post Office lied to victim victims lied to Parliament and lied to the courts okay Dan thanks very much

Channel: ITV News

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Id: SIDLEs2Ae-U

Length: 4min 55sec (295 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 02 2024