Rishi Sunak says Post Office prosecutions under review as victim confronts him

07 January 2024 , 10:07

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Rishi Sunak says Post Office prosecutions under review as victim confronts him

Rishi Sunak has confirmed Post Office prosecutions are under review.

The Prime Minister has said the Government is looking at how to exonerate hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted during the Horizon IT scandal amid mounting pressure to respond to the “biggest miscarriage of justice” in British history.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk also is examining whether the Post Office can be stripped of its role in the appeals process, with many victims still attempting to overturn wrongful convictions.

Asked if the Government would remove the Post Office's ability to investigate and prosecute, he told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: "The Justice Secretary is looking at the things that you've described, it wouldn't be right to pre-empt that process, obviously there's legal complexity in all of those things but he is looking at exactly those areas."

Rishi Sunak said the Justice Secretary is looking into the issue

He added: "Compensation is a part of that but there may be legal things that may be possible as well, and that's what the Justice Secretary is looking at."

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Sub-postmistress Susan Knight, who was affected by the scandal, confronted Mr Sunak live on the programme about the "snail's pace" of compensation and asked the PM: "What are you going to do to ensure we get fair and final compensation, not in dribs and drabs?" She added: "Please stop making us feel - still feel - like victims."

Former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton said victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are "traumatised" and it is "like a war" to try and get compensation. Mr Castleton, who was pursued through the courts and had to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds and went bankrupt, described the situation as "complicated and combative".

"The victims are traumatised. It has been a long time of 25 years and £135million has been paid to some of the victims, but we have had £150million-plus paid to lawyers. These lawyers are putting lots of pressure and it is difficult. The schemes are difficult," he said.

"We are just normal run-of-the-mill people. We have legal people with us but it is so difficult and it is like a war. Why would anybody put the Post Office and DBT (the Department for Business and Trade) in charge of recompensing the victims?"

Mr Sunak said: "Everyone has been shocked by watching what they have done over the past few days and beyond and it is an appalling miscarriage of justice.

"Obviously it's something that happened in the '90s but actually seeing it and hearing about it again just shows what an appalling miscarriage of justice it is for everyone affected and it's important that those people now get the justice they deserve, and that's what the compensation schemes are about.

"The Government has paid out about £150 million to thousands of people already. Of course we want to get the money to the people as quickly as possible, that's why there are interim payments of up to, I think, £600,000 that can be made. There are three different schemes available and for anyone affected they should come forward."

More than 700 Post Office branch managers were handed criminal convictions after faulty Fujitsu accounting software called Horizon made it appear as though money was missing from their outlets.

Sophie Huskisson