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Post office scandal: Ex-boss quits director jobs after scandal

Parliament Live TV Paula VennellsParliament Live TV

The former chief executive of the Post Office has quit her roles on the boards of Morrisons and Dunelm following the IT scandal which led to the wrongful convictions of former postmasters.

Morrisons announced Paula Vennells would leave after serving as a non-executive director since 2016.

She is relinquishing her non-executive position at home furnishing retailer Dunelm with immediate effect.

She is also stopping her duties as an ordained Church of England minister.

Ms Vennells said: "It is obvious that my involvement with the Post Office has become a distraction from the good work undertaken by the boards I serve.

"I have therefore stepped down with immediate effect from all of my board positions."

Ms Vennells was chief executive of the Post Office between 2012 and 2019.

On Friday, 39 former Post Office workers saw their criminal convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal.

The convictions had been based on the flawed software system Horizon, which showed shortfalls in the sub-postmasters' s where they did not exist. The IT system was installed in 1999 under former chief executive John Roberts.

Other appeals are expected to follow in what is the most widespread miscarriage of justice in the UK's history.

The government has launched an inquiry into the prosecution of the former Post Office workers.

Ms Vennells said: "I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 sub-postmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week."

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