FORMER Post Office chief Paula Vennells sought to offer only nominal compensation to wrongly convicted sub-postmasters, the public inquiry heard on Friday (26).
The minutes of a February 2014 meeting revealed her concern over a mediation scheme potentially paying out £100 million, far exceeding initial expectations, reported The Telegraph.
Vennells expressed dissatisfaction, suggesting that the envisioned compensation was initially intended to be much smaller, akin to a mere token gesture with an apology.
Attendees at the meeting included Vennells, Chris Aujard, the Post Office’s general counsel, and representatives from auditing firm Second Sight, Ron Warmington, and Ian Henderson.
Vennells was the chief executive of Post Office from 2012 to 2019.
During the inquiry, Angela van den Bogerd faced questioning regarding the tragic case of sub-postmaster Martin Griffiths, who took his own life in 2013 following wrongful prosecution.
The inquiry revealed that the Post Office's initial response to Griffiths's death prioritised safeguarding its brand reputation.
Vennells sought information about Griffiths' family and mental health status one month after his suicide. In an October 2013 email to Van den Bogerd and other senior Post Office managers, Vennells requested background details on him and insights into the circumstances surrounding his death to brief the board adequately.
“I had heard but have yet to see a formal report, that there were previous mental health issues and potential family issues," she was quoted as saying.
Van den Bogerd mentioned this email in her statement to the inquiry, indicating that she collaborated with colleagues to furnish Vennells with relevant information on the case.
When pressed on why she insisted on including a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in the settlement with Griffiths's widow, Van den Bogerd explained it was standard practice at the Post Office.
When asked to clarify further, she stated she simply accepted it as the customary approach in settlement agreements across the board, past and present.
Jason Beer KC then likened it to secrecy, to which she responded that it was about settling claims and concluding the engagement, adding that this was a general practice, not specific to the current case.
Van den Bogerd held various senior roles during a 35-year career at the Post Office, including head of partnerships, director of support services and the director of people and change.
From 2010 onwards, she was the director in charge of handling complaints about the Horizon system before leaving the organisation in 2020.
Earlier, Sam Stein KC inquired if Van den Bogerd acknowledges there were "rumblings" before her involvement with the system.
“At around that timetable when I stepped into that role, yes,” she said.
However, she denied the claim that the helpline set up by the Post Office to address the issues with Horizon was fraud.
Stein KC informed the inquiry that out of the 102 sub-postmasters represented by the Howe & Co law firm, 43 per cent were informed by the helpline that the shortfall was their own and they were accountable for its repayment.
More than 700 subpostmasters ended up with criminal convictions as a result of the Horizon scandal, with 236 serving jail time.
Damian Talbot