Sunak to clear postmasters this year
Post Office scandal victims will only have to sign one document to clear name and win compensation
RISHI SUNAK has announced an emergency law to clear and compensate Post Office victims.
Downing Street said the ambition was to quash the convictions “this year” with legislation within weeks.
Postmasters will have to sign a document saying they are innocent to get their £600,000 compensation. Those who go through the courts to clear their names can claim £600,000 under the Government’s compensation scheme.
There is a separate offer of a £75,000 payment for the 555 victims whose group court case, led by Alan Bates, helped to expose the injustice.
However, only a third are expected to sign up to this, deciding instead to go through the courts for a larger amount.
But others questioned whether victims would receive enough compensation, and whether the money would come quickly enough, while the Justice Secretary admitted that the scheme was an “imperfect option”.
Lord Arbuthnot, who fought for justice for the postmasters, said: “I am delighted at this announcement. It is a difficult one for the Government, and many details need to be hammered out, but it is right.”
But others questioned whether victims would receive enough compensation and quickly enough.
Professor Christopher Hodges, the chairman of the independent Horizon compensation advisory board, said “compensation issues may take longer in some cases” because “every individual’s decision about whether to take what’s on the table or to go through a detailed assessment and how long it takes to do that is actually complex”.
Vijay Parekh, who served 18 months in prison after being accused of stealing £78,000 and admitting theft on the advice of his barrister, told GB News he had lost more than £1 million.
“I’m glad that they’ve announced it, but that £600,000 they’re talking about – there’s people who have lost more than just £600,000,” he said.
“I’ve lost everything. I mortgaged the house to as much as I can but I had to move out…and the whole family I had is gone [because of ] the scandal… It’s going to take time to recover from this.”
At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Mr Sunak said: “This is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history. People who worked hard to serve their communities had their lives and their reputations destroyed through absolutely no fault of their own. The victims must get justice. Today I can announce that we will introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated,” he added. Between 1999 and 2015, 980 sub-postmasters were prosecuted after the faulty accounting software made it look as if money had gone missing.
Kevin Hollinrake, the Post Office minister, said just 93 victims had managed to get convictions overturned.
The usual method for overturning a conviction would involve the Criminal Cases Review Commission sending it to the Court of Appeal for a hearing.
But the unprecedented scale of the Horizon scandal means the Government is taking a legislative route rather than a lengthy court process.
Alex Chalk, Justice Secretary, has been discussing the situation with senior judges because of the constitutional concern about Parliament being seen to interfere with the legal process.
However, Mr Hollinrake said it was justified owing to the “exceptional circumstances” of the case.
He admitted there was a risk that postmasters who were actually guilty of stealing money would also be exonerated and receive compensation.
Postmasters will be asked to sign a statement saying they are not guilty of stealing money, meaning anyone found guilty could still be prosecuted.
Mr Hollinrake said the proposed system was “not foolproof but proportionate” and would mean that victims of the scandal would get “compensation after signing one document”. Mr Chalk admitted some fraudsters could benefit from the new scheme, telling ITV1’S Peston last night: “We were faced with a series of imperfect options, and it’s right to say, we have to be clear, there will be some guilty people who effectively get a windfall acquittal as a result of this.”
Ken Macdonald, former director of public prosecutions, told Times Radio: “I think that some people who are guilty will be exonerated. That’s the price the Government is prepared to pay.”
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “We’re also committed to ensuring that this can never happen again.”
‘I’m glad but there’s people who have lost more than £60,000’
‘Details will need to be hammered out but it is the right decision’