13 March 2024 , 00:01
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New legislation to finally clear the names of hundreds of wrongly-convicted postmasters will at last be introduced today.
Landmark laws will automatically exonerate victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal after years of Tory dithering. The Government says it wants these laws in place by July, with compensation to be delivered "as soon as possible" after convictions are overturned.
More than 700 postmasters had their lives ruined after the faulty Horizon system made it look like money was missing from their branches. The Government is under mounting pressure to finally put this right, with public anger rising after ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office aired in January.
Under the new legislation the number of people eligible for a £75,000 will be extended so postmasters who weren't convicted but who suffered as a result of the scandal can be compensated. Rishi Sunak said it is an "important step forward", stating: “We owe it to the victims of this scandal who have had their lives and livelihoods callously torn apart, to deliver the justice they’ve fought so long and hard for, and to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
It comes just over a fortnight after former postmaster Alan Bates pleaded with MPs to "get on and pay". Those whose convictions are overturned will receive an interim payment and will be offered a final settlement of £600,000, but if they reject that there is a process to apply for more.
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Justice Secretary Alex Chalk described the new legislation - which will still need to go through Parliament - as a "watershed moment" and said: “These are exceptional circumstances which require an exceptional response to ensure those who were wrongly convicted can not only clear their names but be fairly and swiftly compensated.”
The Government has admitted that the mass overturning of convictions may lead to guilty people being cleared. Everyone who receives compensation will be required to sign a legal statement saying they didn't commit the crime, and could be charged with fraud if that turns out to be untrue.
Labour MP Kevan Jones, who is a member of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, said: “This will exonerate hundreds of victims who were convicted as a result of the Post Office Horizon IT system. It is essential that we get this Bill passed as soon as possible before Summer recess so that those affected can get the justice and compensation they have fought so long for.”
The new Bill will apply in England and Wales, with ministers working with Scottish and Northern Irish officials to bring in measures there. So far around £179 million has been paid to over 2,800 victims of the scandal.