Bleak horizons

Post Office bigwigs yet to answer questions

A number of high-profile figures caught up in the Horizon scandal have yet to appear before the public inquiry. As hearings are set to continue today, here are some of the big names still to appear.

Paula Vennells

Post Office chief executive from 2012 until she stepped down in 2019, the year she was handed a CBE. Ms Vennells said in a statement yesterday she would give evidence to the inquiry “in the coming months”.

Angela van den Bogerd

Her 33-year career at the Post Office involved handling complaints about Horizon since 2010. Her High Court evidence in 2019 was dramatised in Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Judge Peter Fraser said she “sought to obfuscate matters, and mislead me”. It is not known if she will appear at the inquiry.

Gareth Jenkins

Understood to have been instrumental in developing t Horizon software at Fujitsu. He was scheduled to give evidence to the inquiry twice; both times it was postponed. He will not face the inquiry now until spring at the earliest.

Adam Crozier

Until this week Mr Crozier, who was Royal Mail boss from 2003 to 2010 when it still ran the Post Office, escaped scrutiny. There are now calls for him to give evidence. He denies any involvement.

Richard Christou

The UK chief executive of Fujitsu from 2000 to 2004, then chairman for three years. He has not been called to give evidence, despite advising Fujitsu until 2021.

Alice Perkins

The wife of Jack Straw, a former home secretary, was the £100,000-a-year Post Office chairkman from 2011 to 2015. Problems with Horizon began long before but she took up her role as evidence of a scandal was emerging.