The scandal brought to light by the ITV drama ‘Mr Bates Vs the Post Office’ has caused a stir and led many people to call for action.
Many people were put in prison or faced financial ruin because of the technological advances brought to the Post Office by an electronic system named Horizon. The system, which was created by Fujitsu, a Japanese company, was installed in 1999. Bugs were discovered as early as 2001.
In Dalmellington a bug created a PS24,000 discrepancy, for which the Post Office held the operator responsible. More than 700 Subpostmasters, Postmistresses and other employees were charged with false accounting or theft between 1999 and 2015. Many of them received prison sentences.
Many are still fighting to get justice, despite the fact that a public inquiry will begin in February 2021. Only 93 convictions were overturned up to now, and only 30 of those people received compensation.
Paula Vennels was the CEO at the Post Office from 2012 to 2019 and Ms Vennels was the one who denied that there was any problem with the system.
BBC reports that over one million people signed a petition to strip Ms Vennels of her CBE, which she was awarded in 2019. “For services to the Post Office” and “for charity.”
Paula Vennels accepted that her CBE was being taken away from her, and she has given it to the King. However, he will officially announce this.
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Postmasters at that time had to deal with faulty Horizon software, and their superiors did not pay attention to the complaints they made.
The Metropolitan Police is now investigating the Post Office for possible fraud offences.
Many are suing, and these cases must be handled urgently.
The Government is trying its best to ensure that those who have been prosecuted or blamed receive the justice they deserve. The Guardian reported that Rishi Sunak announced a plan for a law to be passed that would nullify the conviction. Alex Chalk, Justice Secretary is said to have been “actively considering” the idea of using legislation in order to give those with convictions a quicker justice.
All those charged with crimes will likely be cleared in the near term.
What options are there?
- Alex Chalk, we know, is considering a one-time law that would exonerate everyone. It may be difficult, as judges and courts are independent from politicians and parliament. This may be the only option, but due to how many people are affected, it may be necessary. Dominic Grieve KC – the former Attorney General – said that “if you use Parliament this way, in a sense, it’s a parliamentary intervention in the judicial system of our country.”
- The appeals should be expedited as they all have the same issue, so it is easier to get more done in one go. The CCRC exonerated 39 people at once. Critics of CCRC claim that the organization is too quick to dismiss pleas for assistance, and many victims themselves want it removed.
What is Fujitsu’s fault?
Horizon, a system that replaces paper receipts by an electronic database, was introduced to the Post Office in order to reduce the manual effort and time spent by postmasters. The Post Office informed the House of Commons during the 2015 inquiry that:
There is no way for a branch to edit, remove or manipulate transaction data after it has been entered into a branch account.
This turned out to not be true, because four years later, during a case in the high court, it was revealed that Fujitsu employees could access branch accounts, and they had “unrestricted” and “unaudited access” to these systems.
The company will be expected to answer any questions regarding its role in the scandal, which has been described as one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British History.
There is a sense of urgency because there are so many people who have been affected and many others who sympathize. This being an election season, no Party wants this hanging over their head.