Post Office scandal: UK proposes new legislation to prevent wrongful convictions

The UK government is set to introduce landmark legislation on Wednesday to clear the convictions of several British Indians and innocent sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon IT Scandal. This scandal involved glitches in accounting software that led to wrongful prosecutions between 1999 and 2015.

Fewer than 100 convictions have been overturned so far, leaving many financially ruined or serving prison sentences for crimes they did not commit. The new legislation will offer affected sub-postmasters an interim payment with the option of a fixed final offer of GBP600,000 to begin rebuilding their lives.

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill will provide a “blanket exoneration” for those convicted based on erroneous evidence from the Horizon software. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised the postmasters for their courage in fighting for justice and emphasized the importance of clearing their names.

Convictions prosecuted by the Post Office or Crown Prosecution Service between 1996 and 2018 for offenses like theft, fraud, and false accounting will be automatically quashed. The government plans to provide enhanced financial redress for postmasters who were not convicted but still suffered due to Horizon failures, offering a fixed sum payment of GBP75,000.

The independent Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was launched in February 2020, leading to government-funded compensation payments through the Horizon Shortfall Scheme in March 2021. Around 60% of claims have been paid out so far, with over GBP179 million distributed to more than 2,800 claimants.