The law would help hundreds of post office operators who were wrongly convicted during the Horizon scandal. This bill aims to overturn their convictions and provide justice to those affected.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak talked to the country about a new law called the Post Office (Horizon System) Offenses Bill. This law aims to correct mistakes made in the Post Office Scandal. Over many years, hundreds of workers were wrongly accused and punished for fraud because of a problem with the computer system.
Sunak said this was one of the biggest unfairness in our country’s history. Sunak made this official announcement in a video shared on X and also issued a press release.
This law would help hundreds of post office operators who were wrongly convicted during the Horizon scandal. This bill aims to overturn their convictions and provide justice to those affected.
The bill is unique because it will quash convictions of theft, fraud accounting, money laundering, and related offenses that happened between September 23, 1996, and December 31, 2018, in England and Wales. The government has also mentioned, they will keep working closely with Scotland and Northern Ireland as they make their plans.
Scotland’s Secretary Angela Constance criticized this decision, saying it’s unfair to leave out victims in Scotland and Northern Ireland. She added that if the UK government doesn’t change its mind, they will make their Scottish law to bring justice to everyone affected.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland’s public prosecution body, said they ‘re determined to fix any wrong verdicts caused by unreliable Horizon evidence, they mention that they have found 53 cases that might be a miscarriage of justice.
The Northern Ireland Department of Justice also expressed disappointment that Northern Ireland was not included in the law and wants the law to be changed during its time in Parliament so that people in Northern Ireland are treated the same as those in England and Wales.
It was also mentioned that once the convictions are overturned, people from all over the UK can apply for financial compensation. This means that people who were wrongly convicted during this time will have their convictions automatically overturned once the bill becomes law.
The Horizon scandal involved post office operators, being falsely accused of crimes due to problems with the Horizon computer system. Over 900 convictions were linked to this scandal, but only about 100 have been overturned through the courts. The government hopes to pass this legislation by the end of July.
The situation grabbed headlines again after a TV show called Mr. Bates vs the Post Office was shown in the U.K. at the beginning of the year. This led to more people supporting the victims and demanding fairness.
In January, the Metropolitan Police started looking into possible crimes like lying under oath and trying to change the course of justice linked to how the Post Office handled prosecutions and investigations.
Kevin Hollinrake, the post office minister leading the bill, describes it as a necessary response to an unusual situation. However, some people, including Labour MPs, believe more needs to be done, such as providing compensation to those affected. “It was a welcome step forward” but not a full solution,” said Liam Byrne, the chair of the business select committee.
Post office operators who have their convictions quashed can receive fixed compensation payments totaling £600,000 or choose to have their cases considered individually. Additionally, those who were never convicted or took legal action against the post office can receive £75,000 in compensation.
While this bill aims to provide justice to those affected by the Horizon scandal, some lawyers and judges have raised concerns about Parliament overturning court decisions.
However, the government believes that this is the best option to ensure innocent people are over-exonerated. While many see the introduction of this bill as a positive step towards providing justice and redress to those affected by the Horizon scandal.