EX-POST Office boss Paula Vennells has handed back her CBE “with immediate effect” after more than one million people signed a petition.
Vennells said she will hand back her award amid the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters.
PAPaula Vennells will hand back her CBE[/caption]
The former chief executive, who ran the Post Office while it routinely denied there was a problem with its Horizon IT system, was appointed a CBE in December 2018.
More than 1million people signed a petition demanding she hand back the gong after an ITV drama returned injustice to the spotlight.
In a statement, Vennells said: “I continue to support and focus on co-operating with the inquiry and expect to be giving evidence in the coming months.
“I have so far maintained my silence as I considered it inappropriate to comment publicly while the inquiry remains ongoing and before I have provided my oral evidence.
“I am, however, aware of the calls from sub-postmasters and others to return my CBE.
“I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.
“I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system.
“I now intend to continue to focus on assisting the inquiry and will not make any further public comment until it has concluded.”
More to follow.
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