Paula Vennells of Horizon IT’s legal team told the inquiry that while discussing the evidence of some of the witnesses “cautiously”, the desire for “self-preservation” indicated that they were trying to outwit the former shooter. Post office capital executive for the scandal.
Samantha Leek KC, delivering Vennells’ conclusion for the state inquiry on Tuesday, said Vennells as a high-profile figure had tried to “point the finger at” the scandals committed by others.
“Since recent witness evidence relating to Ms Vennell is not supported by contemporaneous documents, this evidence should be approached with caution,” he told the audience.
It is necessary, as far as the human desire to save, the witnesses are now asking to be away from Ms Vennells.
It was asked I heard testimony in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British historyin which more than 900 post-office workers were convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting between 1999 and 2015, after the faulty Horizon software was built by Fujitsu, it appears as if the money was missing from the branches.
Lawyers for the Vennells, writing on their behalf in their submissions to the closing inquiry, said no evidence had emerged to show they had “acted in bad faith”.
He has Vennells in front he publicly named the five executives he was going to blame for the scandalbut his lawyers said he “doesn’t want to point the finger at others”.
Kate Gallafent KC, in a statement on Tuesday closing the Post Office, said she was “deeply saddened” by the trust in Fujitsuwhich built and manages the Horizon system, adding that it is a “subordinate” partner in terms of technical and contractual relationships.
Fujitsu’s boss, Richard Whittam, KC, hit back at the Post Office, accusing him of using it to block his submission in an attempt to “obfuscate his own responsibility by seeking to shift the blame onto Fujitsu and other third parties”.
“The Post Office felt at least 25 years of potential for – and the existence of bugs, errors and failures,” he said.
“Fujitsu has identified at least 70 individuals within the Post Office and Royal Mail in relation to whom the investigation received undisputed knowledge of bugs, errors and failures. This includes members of the board, senior executive lawyers in the house of lawyers, as well as individuals working in the Post Office’s security and research teams.
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“Inquiry is entitled to gather from the breadth and depth of awareness of bugs, errors and shortcomings, it is likely that the main institutional decision-makers actually have such knowledge.”
The government said on Tuesday that several former branch office owners would be eligible for compensation after an independent report found that IT computer software used by the Post Office between 1992 and 1999 could also be faulty.
Accusations of theft and falsified pay accounts followed, or that employees were forced to complete the crime’s job with their own money, according to a report on the predatory program.
Publication of the findings of the public inquiry is expected to be made public next year.