The Post Office Horizon IT statutory inquiry is now a part of history, having finished yesterday after over three years of evidence and assessment. It was led by retired high court judge Sir Wyn Williams, who has over 28 years’ judicial experience.
On Tuesday 17 December, the closing day of the hearing heard written statements from former Post Office head, Paula Vennells (pictured earlier in the inquiry), and Gareth Jenkins from the Post Office’s tech supplier, Fujitsu. Ms Vennells was CEO of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019 and was network director at the organisation for five years prior to this. She had already testified in person over three days during week seven of the inquiry.
In her closing statement, while Vennells indicated she had no desire to point the finger at anyone when considering what went wrong, she added that members of her team did not keep her abreast of all the information available at the time. This was greeted by laughter and groans at the inquiry, largely from the many sub postmasters who had been present at the hearing across its lengthy duration.
Convenience Store has covered the inquiry in detail over its lifespan, including detailing the announcement that compensation would be paid to postmasters, the news that it would cost over £1bn, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s steps to introduce legislation to clear those convicted, and the emotional statements from Vennells.
The events of the years the scandal, stretching back to the 1990s up until more recent times, were even documented in the fictionalised ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office in 2024, bringing the story to a much wider audience.
Looking forward, the next steps for the amassed evidence will see a report being published - although when this will be specifically remains unclear. Sir Williams has previously said it will be “as soon as is reasonably practicable” after hearing about the Post Offices current practices in September.
The chair may also refer executives and those who have worked at the Post Office and Fujitsu to the police - should he think any criminal investigations are needed.
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