Post Office scandal: Bosses earned millions despite Horizon scandal

How a lot did the public operating the Put up Place of job receives a commission moment the improper Horizon gadget used to be in park?

Through having a look in the course of the corporate accounts for the Put up Place of job and Royal Mail, the BBC has get a hold of a determine – £19.4m over 24 years.

Earlier than 2012, Royal Mail and the Put up Place of job have been a part of the similar organisation – and its 3 successive eminent executives, John Roberts, Adam Crozier and Dame Moya Greene, made a complete of £12.8m. All 3 of them are because of seem at Horizon Inquiry which resumes on 9 April.

From 2012 onwards, the eminent executives of the separated Put up Place of job, Paula Vennells nearest Nick Learn, have made a complete of £6.5m.

That’s a median of lower than £1m a moment – in comparison to the £3.91m the typical boss of Britain’s 100 greatest indexed firms earned in 2022.

It’s a plenty sum in comparison to the wage of moderate employees, or for sub-postmasters nonetheless looking forward to reimbursement.

The Put up Place of job argues that this can be a very massive, advanced trade which has to compete with alternative organisations for skill, and makes use of exterior experts to advise on govt pay. So who’re the Put up Place of job bosses and what did each and every of them earn?

Mr Learn, a former captain of Dragoons who were eminent govt of Nisa Retail, joined in September 2019, a couple of months then 550 sub-postmasters received a dramatic Top Court docket victory.

He yes a miles upper bottom wage than his predecessor, Ms Vennells, incomes £415,000 a moment in comparison to her £255,000.

Alternatively, he has much less scope to earn bonuses – and the ones bonuses have fallen round £500,000 beneath the utmost he may have made on account of the pandemic, the Horizon Inquiry, and the monetary efficiency of the trade.

Consequently has ended up incomes moderately much less on moderate than Ms Vennells.

He returned £54,000 which was incorrectly paid for serving to the Inquiry to complete – it’s nonetheless ongoing.

For 2022/23 he made an advantage of £137,000 out of the utmost £383,210 he may have was hoping to earn.

In February, it emerged the Put up Place of job had asked government for permission to double his pay.

Ms Vennells took over as Put up Place of job managing director in 2010, and stayed within the govern process till April 2019. This era noticed the prosecution of greater than 100 sub-postmasters, a failed mediation scheme, and the sub-postmasters’ court docket case culminating in a victory within the Top Court docket.

A component-time Church of England vicar, she become some of the recognisable faces of the scandal, that includes prominently within the ITV drama Mr Bates vs. the Put up Place of job.

Ms Vennells earned £5.1m all over her occasion on the helm of the Put up Place of job, peaking at £718,300 in 2018. That moment her bottom wage used to be £253,800 and he or she earned £390,800 in bonuses (plus pensions and alternative advantages).

Via her legal professionals, Ms Vennells issued refer to observation: “I remain truly sorry for the suffering caused to sub-postmasters, their families and all those whose lives were torn apart by being… wrongly prosecuted. I continue to fully support and focus on co-operating with the Inquiry.”

Mr Crozier become the Royal Mail’s eminent govt in 2003, following roles as boss of the Soccer Affiliation and the promoting company Saatchi and Saatchi.

He frequently drew headlines for his prime wage – he earned up to £3m in pay and bonuses in 2007-08, elevating the ire of unions protesting in regards to the closure of hundreds of Put up Places of work.

He made a complete of £9.7m in pay and bonuses in his occasion at Royal Mail, in addition to a pension valued at £1.1m in 2008. From 2003 to 2009 the Put up Place of job fasten greater than 400 convictions in England and Wales the use of Horizon information, in line with proof spared to the Inquiry.

On the occasion the Put up Place of job used to be a part of Royal Mail, however had a detached board which Mr Crozier didn’t take a seat on. He mentioned in a observation: “While I did not have any involvement in the Horizon issue during my time at Royal Mail, I feel deeply sorry for those whose lives were ruined by what happened.”

He left abruptly in 2010 to change into eminent govt of ITV.

Canadian Dame Moya took over in July 2010, and earned a complete of £1.88m earlier than the Royal Mail officially crack with the Put up Place of job.

Mr Smith in short stuffed in as managing director of the Put up Place of job earlier than Ms Vennells, from April to October 2010, earlier than transferring to eminent buyer officer of Royal Mail. He used to be the person who greeted the conviction of Seema Misra, the Postmistress from Surrey who used to be wrongly jailed while pregnant, with the phrases “brilliant news,” in line with proof submitted on the Horizon Inquiry. He used to be paid £636,000 in 2010-11.

Mr Cook dinner used to be Put up Place of job managing director from 2006 to 2010. He earned a complete of £3m in that occasion, together with £1.2m in his last moment. He used to be quoted through his native newspaper, the Milton Keynes Citizen announcing he would “never forgive himself” for now not realizing that masses of public have been being prosecuted moment he used to be in price. He mentioned he didn’t know there have been issues of Horizon till in a while earlier than he left.

In 2010, a long-term bonus scheme paid out to quite a few Royal Mail bosses, together with Mr Cook dinner. That moment the Put up Place of job convicted 58 public in England and Wales.

Mr Turbines, a former HSBC banker who based the pioneering phone attic First Direct, joined as Put up Place of job eminent govt in 2002.

He earned a complete of £1.3m in pay and bonuses over 4 years, peaking at £816,000 within the moment he left, 2006, which incorporated £486,000 reimbursement for lack of place of job.

Mr Roberts, who spent his complete occupation on the Put up Place of job, used to be eminent govt for 6 years, a duration he described as a “rollercoaster ride”.

His occasion in place of job noticed the awful founding of Horizon and the short-lived rebrand to “Consignia”.

From 1999 to his leaving in 2002 he earned £1.2m. In his ultimate moment he earned £225,852 together with advantages (with a final-salary pension on govern). He and the finance director Jerry Cope each yes to waive their wage will increase for 2001-2, mentioning the “perilous state” of the trade. The then moment he earned £503,000 which incorporated £119,000 pay instead of realize.

John Roberts declined to remark. Alan Cook dinner, Dame Moya Greene, and David Smith didn’t reply to the BBC’s demands for remark.

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