Post Office scandal: Rishi Sunak pledges to 'make it right'

The government is contemplating plans to exonerate post office operators affected by the Horizon scandal, which wrongly implicated them due to faulty Fujitsu software between 1999 and 2015. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, indicated that Justice Secretary Alex Chalk might consider stripping the Post Office of its prosecution powers after more than 700 branch managers received unjust criminal convictions.

A national outcry over the scandal has intensified, with over 700 branch managers facing legal consequences for apparent financial discrepancies caused by the defective software. The ITV drama, "Mr Bates vs the Post Office," has further fueled demands for government intervention.

The faulty system led to numerous individuals being jailed, bankrupted, and tragically, at least four suicides. The majority of victims have not received compensation. Sunak acknowledged the shocking miscarriage of justice, emphasizing the need for affected individuals to receive the justice they deserve.


Chalk is exploring options to relieve the Post Office of its role in cases where operators seek to appeal their convictions. This may involve the Crown Prosecution Service taking over, potentially facilitating the quashing of convictions. To date, only 93 convictions have been overturned, with a mere 27 individuals reaching "full and final settlements."

Chalk has long expressed concerns about the ability of some arms-length bodies to pursue private prosecutions and the low success rate of appeals among post office operators. Even after the Horizon system's defects were revealed, the Post Office continued to oppose several appeals by operators.

The recent ITV drama has prompted 50 new potential victims to contact lawyers, with five wishing to appeal their convictions. Lee Castleton, a former post office operator forced into bankruptcy, described the victims as traumatized. Compensation totaling £151 million has been paid, but concerns exist about the amount actually returned for imaginary shortfalls, as operators claim tens of millions wrongly recouped went into Post Office profits.

The Post Office is now under criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police for potential fraud offenses during the Horizon scandal. This includes examining monies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions.

Calls are growing for Paula Vennells, the former chief executive of the Post Office between 2012 and 2019, to be stripped of her CBE. A petition urging the revocation of her honor has garnered over 760,000 signatures.