Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells was not at home yesterday as calls grew for her to hand back £2.93million in bonuses paid during the scandal.
Ms Vennells, 65, and retired husband John, 68, live in a £1.5million farmhouse set in half an acre of grounds in a pretty Bedfordshire village.
He was head of strategy at Swiss engineering firm ABB.
Their Grade II listed, 400- year-old property has a listed 18th century weatherboard barn plus modern outbuildings, private drive and a large pond.
A neighbour said: “They’re not here. Their boat’s not here either.” An empty twin-axle boat trailer was parked up on site.
The gardener would only say: “They’re not here. I don’t know when they left and I don’t know when they’ll be back.”
Police officers arrived to check all was in order and after a brief chat with the gardener, they drove off. Ms Vennells – chief executive from 2012 to 2019 – has not been seen in public since the Mr Bates TV drama aired.
She has commented only to announce that she was handing back her CBE after intense pressure, including Rishi Sunak saying that he would back a move to rescind it.
Andy Furey, the assistant secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: “Since she received these bonuses while overseeing the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, it would only be right to return this money.”
Ms Vennells is accused of backing aggressive prosecutions of innocent sub-postmasters. She has said: “I am truly sorry
for the devastation caused.”
