The conclusion of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry is underway, with key figures’ legal representatives submitting their final arguments.
In a published statement, former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells expressed being “devastated” by the lack of information shared with her regarding the flawed Horizon IT system.
Ms Vennells is speaking for the first time in the inquiry since her previous appearance earlier this year.
Outlined below are summaries of significant submissions from Ms Vennells and other core participants.
Paula Vennells
Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells is shown outside the inquiry in May. Pic: Reuters
In her final legal submission, the former Post Office CEO affirmed that there was no evidence of malintent on her part.
She is characterized as someone who had good intentions towards the sub-postmasters.
Ms Vennells acknowledged her failure to uncover the truth due to the lack of information provided to her.
Despite feeling “devastated” by this, she refrains from blaming others.
Her written submission of 138 pages reiterated her apology to those affected by the inquiry’s focus.
While Ms Vennells bore ultimate responsibility, her lawyers argue that this did not require her to make every decision personally.
She depended on advice and reports from colleagues, including IT specialists and lawyers.
The core argument is that the information given to her was incorrect or incomplete, absolving her from any failure.
Her submission also challenges some witness testimonies, emphasizing the reliance on contemporaneous documents over recollections.
Fujitsu
File pic: Reuters
Fujitsu, responsible for the faulty Horizon accounting system software, acknowledges its role in the Post Office victims’ suffering.
The company’s lawyers stress that the Horizon IT system was only a part of the Post Office’s overall IT infrastructure.
Both Fujitsu and the Post Office were aware of the system’s issues from the start.
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The statement acknowledges that Fujitsu personnel had remote access to sub-postmasters’ accounts.
It also criticizes the inadequate IT training for Horizon users and the inefficiencies of Fujitsu and Post Office helpdesks.
The lawyers point out that the injustices were a result of not just technological failures, but also systemic human and organizational failures.
Fujitsu pledged to never again support Post Office-led investigations or prosecutions.
Gareth Jenkins, former Fujitsu employee
Gareth Jenkins gave evidence to the inquiry in June. Pic: Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry
Gareth Jenkins, a former Fujitsu engineer, played a key role in the Post Office’s prosecutions of sub-postmasters.
His defense argues that he was never formally instructed or qualified to provide expert evidence in a legal context.
Mr Jenkins’s lawyers blame the Post Office’s failures in investigations and prosecutions for painting him as the sole culprit.
They highlight the consequences of his lack of formal expert witness instruction on the admissibility of his statements used by the Post Office in prosecutions.
He denies suppressing Horizon problems and accuses the Post Office of misrepresenting his role.
His legal team criticizes the prosecutors’ failures within a broader context of dysfunction.