08 January 2024 , 12:16
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Hundreds of innocent postal workers who were wrongly found guilty of crimes they never committed are still waiting for their convictions to be quashed - and haven't received a single penny of their compensation.
The shocking Post Office scandal took a devastating toll on the lives of over 700 ordinary Brits, who were accused of theft and fraud between 2000 and 2015, when software errors on the Post Office's new accounting system Horizon led to false financial discrepancies.
The organisation wrongly blamed its staff and victims were sacked, thrown in prison and hit with immense mental distress. Over 230 were jailed, including a pregnant woman, four committed suicide and 33 died waiting for justice, while others were declared bankrupt and endured public humiliation.
After the scandal was turned into a gripping ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the spotlight has been put back on the UK's worst-ever miscarriage of justice - but despite the Government's promise of compensation, the question of accountability still looms large.
Why haven't convictions been quashed?
To date, just 93 convictions have been overturned and hundreds of victims are still attempting to fight wrongful convictions after the judge ruled that IT was at fault for the Post Office scandal in 2019. On Sunday 7, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed prosecutions are under review and said the Government is looking at how to exonerate hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted.
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The PM said there's "legal complexity" in all of these areas. He explained: "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." Justice Secretary Alex Chalk is examining whether the Post Office can be stripped of its role in the appeals process.
Mr Sunak said: "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."
Former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton said victims of the Horizon scandal are "traumatised" and it is "like a war" to try and get compensation. Mr Castleton explained: "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."
The Post Office's former CEO Paula Vennells has not been held accountable for the faulty system (BBC)Where is victims' compensation?
In September 2023, the Government announced that every postmaster wrongfully convicted in the Post Office Horizon scandal would be offered £600,000 in compensation to settle their claim. But it's been a slow-moving process for victims and campaign leader Alan Bates wants payments to be fast-tracked before it's too late for some.
"Get moving with the compensation," Mr Bates told The Mirror. "Don't extend the deadline for payments because you can't extend people's lives. They haven't even received offers yet. It's madness." He says some have been suffering for over 20 years because claims are delayed in the legal process.
"It's held up in the system and I know the government says it's the lawyers who are holding it up, but it's not the claimants' lawyers, it's government lawyers. It's money they are owed," he said.
The Post Office, which has a number of different compensation schemes, says it is continuing to make payments. A statement reads: "We're doing all we can to right the wrongs of the past, as far as that is possible, and to date offers of compensation totalling more than £138million have been made to around 2,700 postmasters, the vast majority of which have been agreed and paid. Interim payments continue to be made in other cases which have not yet been resolved."
The Department for Business and Trade added: "We have made funding available to ensure all victims of the scandal can deservedly receive compensation. All those who have their Horizon convictions overturned are offered £600,000 in compensation."
Has anyone been punished?
So far, no Post Office or Fujitsu executives have been punished or held accountable for the faulty system. Paula Vennells, who was CEO of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019, insisted the Horizon system was "robust" during her leadership. She left her position just before the High Court judgement and walked away with more than £400,000 in pay and bonuses.
In 2019 she was awarded a CBE for her services to the Post Office and there are calls for her to be stripped of the honour due to her role in the scandal. Vennells apologised to her colleagues and their families after the court ruling and has since said she will "work with the government inquiry to ensure that staff and the public get the answers they deserve". Last year, Mr Bates turned down an OBE because of the victims still suffering and because Vennells still retains her CBE.
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