Former sub-postmasters and politicians demand police investigation into Post Office over Horizon IT flaws
Following revelations by BBC News exposing that the Post Office was aware of defects in its Horizon IT system, former sub-postmasters and politicians are urging for a police inquiry into the matter.
A leaked document indicates that as early as 2017, company executives and legal advisors were aware of issues with the system, yet persisted in attributing faults to sub-postmasters.
Kevan Jones MP, who advises government officials on Post Office compensation matters, emphasized the urgency of police intervention, stating, “the police need to start looking at this.”
The Post Office declined to comment on the matter, citing its inappropriate nature.
The Horizon IT system, utilized in Post Office branches, led to the wrongful prosecution of over 900 sub-postmasters between 1999 and 2015, based on alleged financial discrepancies flagged by the flawed system.
In a significant legal battle between 2018 and 2019, 555 sub-postmasters, spearheaded by Alan Bates, successfully contested their wrongful prosecutions.
A confidential internal report from 2017 obtained by the BBC revealed the Post Office’s knowledge of potential flaws in the Horizon program.
Despite this knowledge, the Post Office persisted in its legal defense, funded by £100m of public funds.
Mr. Jones criticized the Post Office’s actions during the court case as “an abusive use of public cash against innocent people,” and stressed the necessity of legal accountability.
The draft report, commissioned by the Post Office in 2016 and conducted by Deloitte, was not disclosed during the court proceedings.
Questions have arisen regarding the Post Office’s legal team’s handling of the report and their responsibilities to the court.
Tory peer Lord Arbuthnot, a vocal advocate for sub-postmasters, condemned the handling of the Alan Bates court case, labeling it as “a perversion of the course of justice” and suggesting that those implicated in the scandal should face severe consequences, including imprisonment.