Post Office Horizon Scandal: Rishi Sunak Considers Plan To Exonerate Victims of Controversy

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering a plan to exonerate the victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal whose lives were ruined amid the controversy.

Sunak also confirmed that the justice secretary, Alex Chalk, could strip the Post Office of its powers in order to prosecute after more than 700 branch managers were wrongly handed criminal convictions.

Post Office Horizon Scandal

The situation comes after a national outcry over the treatment of post office operators between 1999 and 2015. It was after fault Fujitsu software made it appear as though money was missing from their outlets when in fact every resource was accounted for.

An ITV drama this week highlighted the scandal and heightened demands for the British government to take action. Hundreds of people were imprisoned or left bankrupt and at least four people desperately took their own lives after the falling out. The majority of the victims have not received compensation for the incident, as per The Guardian.

Sunak was asked about whether or not the justice secretary was looking at plans to exonerate the victims of the controversy. He said that the official in question was looking at the things that were described, adding that it would not be right to pre-empt that process because of legal complexity.

During an interview on Sunday, the British prime minister added that everyone has been shocked after watching what they have done over the past few days and beyond. He described the situation as an "appalling miscarriage of justice."

On the other hand, Chalk is looking at potential options for the Post Office to be stripped of its role in the cases of operators who are now seeking to appeal and overturn their convictions. This would include whether or not the Crown Prosecution Service could take over the case, which could make it easier for convictions to be thrown out.

Exonerating the Victims of the Controversy

The Post Office had the power to decide on whether or not to bring the original prosecutions and its appointed lawyers presented the evidence in court. Many of the victims of the scandal are still involved in legal battles to have their convictions overturned, according to BBC.

This comes as many of whom were forced to pay out thousands of pounds of their own money for shortfalls that were caused by Horizon accounting software. A former postmaster, Lee Castleton said that his life was ruined by the Post Office, adding that he is "really, really angry."

However, the chair of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neill suggested that having the Crown Prosecution Service step in could require extra resources. He also warned that the move could have a knock-on effect on other cases.

The latest developments come as the Metropolitan Police had already been looking into potential offenses of perjury and perverting the course of justice. In January 2020, the force first opened a probe into matters concerning Fujitsu Horizon and the Post Office.

Employees of the Post Office said that they reported issues with the Horizon software from the start but argued that the company brushed off their concerns. The firm also said that the issues were the fault of the individual branch managers, said the Time.