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Post Office inquiry live: Ex-boss Paula Vennells cries and admits evidence to MPs wasn't true - BBC News Post Office inquiry live: Ex-boss Paula Vennells gives second day of evidence - BBC News
(about 16 hours later)
Thank you for joining us. We've finished hearing the first day of evidence from Paula Vennells, the former Post Office CEO. She'll continue giving evidence over the next two days. Here are some key points from today: Her appearance may have arguably been overshadowed by yesterday's political news, but Paula Vennells' evidence on Wednesday was a major moment for the Post Office inquiry.
Vennells began with an apology, saying she was "sorry" for "all the sub-postmasters and their families who have suffered" She faced tough questions from the inquiry lawyers over what she knew about the Horizon scandal and faces more of the same today and tomorrow.
She admitted that evidence she gave to MPs looking into problems with the Horizon IT system in 2012 was not true Here's a recap of some of the key bits of her evidence:
On sub-postmasters and mistresses
She broke down in tears as a list of sub-postmasters and postmistresses who had been acquitted after being accused of stealing money from the Post Office was read outShe broke down in tears as a list of sub-postmasters and postmistresses who had been acquitted after being accused of stealing money from the Post Office was read out
Vennells said she was unaware the Post Office conducted its own prosecutions until 2012 She said she wasn't kept informed about the number of complaints being received from sub-postmasters about Horizon
The former chief executive also broke down again when answering questions following the death of Martin Griffiths, a former sub-postmaster who attempted to take his own life on 23 September 2013, having been accused of a shortfall amounting to £100,000 at his Cheshire branch. He died in hospital weeks later She claimed she didn’t know the Post Office was prosecuting staff till 2012
You can read more about today's evidence here. We'll be back tomorrow with live updates from the inquiry. On giving evidence to MPs
She admitted that an assertion she'd previously made to MPs that there had been no failed Horizon prosecutions was not correct
She said that she was too trusting of her colleagues, and that maybe those who prepared her notes for the 2015 select committee hearing “were trying to direct [her] to answer in a certain way”
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