Paula Vennells is history but now at the Post Office Inquiry is Fujitsu distinguished engineer Gareth Jenkins - thread 4

[nauticant]

A continuation of this thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5094266-paula-vennells-was-done-the-other-week-the-post-office-inquiry-is-now-questioning-associates-and-others-thread-3

When the hearings are going on, live-streaming can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/@postofficehorizonitinquiry947/featured

All of the previous hearings can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/@postofficehorizonitinquiry947/videos

I have a suspicion that the concerns she's now voicing are from hindsight having seen how things have unfolded over the past 5/6 years rather than what she actually thought at the time.

And to think the British public were sold the line that Post Office privatisation was safe because there would be government oversight.

And instead they got this gibbering ship of fools who ran good people into the ground and trashed what was left of the Post Office's reputation.

My broadband keeps going down today. I got as far as KT saying, 'anyone sort of being accused ...' which is fairly typical of her speaking style.

' ... you know for me absolutely you know ...'

She didn't ask to see the Second Sight report even though it was referred to more than once in briefing notes. ' I can't explain why'.

I think I can.

Yes, and she keeps starting answers with "I genuinely" and "I honestly" which should be a given.

' ... erm yes erm of course any sort of kind of prosecution is a concern ... this is where I sort of asked the questions ...'

'I wouldn't erm maybe sort of have erm asked that question. I took what I was told at face value.'

'Systemical errors'. That's a new one.

I wouldn't of ... erm I wouldn't of ...' I bet they were all laughing at her behind her back.

'I'm not a tech expert ...' Oh here we go.

We're back after the first afternoon break.

Ah, now we're on the RAG contingency planning document the CIT litigation. Although sadly without the pretty colours.
Did she read it? She expects she did but can't recall...

'I had an overall concern' ... 'but none on those particular points' (about the high impact risk events specified in July 2018). Oh god we've got vocal uptick now.

'That's the best way I can articulate it'. That's what I'm worried about.

Again, her oral evidence isn't matching up with her written statement. Did she even write her written statement herself? Read it through?

Bit of a tangent, but having lost her seat is she still 'The Right Honourable' as per the sign on the desk? I wasn't aware that ex MPs retained that title.

I was just wondering that. Maybe she was admitted to the Privy Council as a government minister.

I've got to go out shortly and can't be arsed to look it up. Perhaps the lack of enquiry is catching.

'I'm not a legal expert ...'

No, you're not much use for anything. Nice title though.

The nervous smiling, laughing and hand waving are excruciating.

KT the Minister didn't know that UKGI regarded the risk of litigation losses by POL to be one of the top risks on its risk register.

Yet she was being 'briefed', apparently.

'That was sort of erm normal for me but I can't guarantee I did receive weekly briefings or verbal updates ... it was important I had access to new information as quickly as possible ... would have been normal for me'.

Re briefings: 'That is something that would have been formulated by the team or my office'.

But she only wanted 'relevant' information, not things of little consequence. (But she expected POL to decide that?)

Then, shenanigans.

This will be helpful to KT if it emerges that POL conspired to withhold information from her in the verbal briefings she requested.

Oh dear, someone missed part of a discussion about the CEO because they were stuck behind a locked door in the House of Commons.

So there's some record her (KT) having complained about lack of information being provided to her. However, the same record shows that POL knew it had to up its game.

Sir Wyn intervenes to try to cut through the crap.

Oh blimey, I don't think I've got the strength to listen to her explaining her understanding of recusal.