Post Office scandal: Pre-Horizon software probed as deadlines set for redress

Nina Lloyd, Press Association Political Correspondent

Postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted in the Horizon IT scandal have been given until next summer to apply for compensation as an investigation has been announced into other software used before the faulty system was installed.

Some 87% claims have been settled and more than £1.7 billion has been paid to 14,000 people as of September 30, the Government said in an update on Wednesday.

A deadline of July 31 next year has now been set for the Horizon convictions redress scheme, and of March 31 next year for postmasters who may have suffered financial shortfalls as a result of Capture, a second IT system.

Business minister Kate Dearden said the move would provide “clarity on the path ahead, while ensuring eligible individuals have sufficient time and support to submit a claim”.

Meanwhile, an independent investigation into software used before the flawed Horizon system was rolled out in 1999 has been announced by the Government.

Evidence from the probe will be used to inform any future considerations, the Department for Business and Trade said.

A process for reviewing offers of £75,000 accepted by eligible postmasters will also be launched in November, with applicants asked to provide a “short written narrative” explaining why the figure undervalued their claim.

The Government said claimants would be able to seek funded legal support, and their submissions would be considered by an independent assessor.

Around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted after Fujitsu’s defective Horizon accounting system, used by the Post Office, made it appear as if money was missing at branches run by subpostmasters.

Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined, others shunned by their communities and some took their own lives in what is thought to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

A 2024 report by financial and risk advisory firm Kroll found that Capture, which was used before Horizon, was also likely to be faulty.

Capture was used in some branches between 1992 and 2000, and compensation is being handled through a separate scheme launched last October.

Ms Dearden said: “The Horizon and Capture scandals caused profound harm to postmasters, many of whom suffered years of financial, personal and reputational damage through no fault of their own.

“The Government is determined to right these historic wrongs by completing its pledge to ensure that affected postmasters receive the redress they deserve.”

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