Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Post Office Horizon scandal: UK considers quashing unsafe convictions; Met fraud probe, public inquiry threatens criminal penalties, compensation schemes, and review of Post Office prosecution powers and honours

Published on: 09 January 2024

Published by a Law360 reporter

Legal News

Article summary

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk branded the Horizon affair an ‘appalling miscarriage of justice’. Kevin Hollinrake, the minister responsible for postal services, said the ITV drama, ‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’, has only strengthened the government’s determination to see justice delivered as swiftly as possible. The mini-series offers a fictionalised portrayal of the ordeal faced by hundreds of branch managers who were unjustly prosecuted on the basis of the defective Horizon accounting system between 1999 and 2015. Addressing Parliament on the evening of 8 January 2024, Hollinrake explained that the government had ‘devised’ options to settle the remaining convictions, but that consultation with senior members of the judiciary was required before any announcement could be made. He stressed that it is vital “we get to the bottom of what went wrong, of who knew what, and when” to rebuild public confidence in the postal service and in the British justice system. While acknowledging the sheer scale of the issue, he added that the government remains unwavering in its resolve to act, compensate those affected, and leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice...

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