Stop playing politics with P.O. victims

SNP slated as law bid to stall justice over Horizon scandal

THE SNP was yesterday accused of playing politics with Post Office Horizon victims after it emerged the Justice Secretary has asked the UK Government to include Scots in legislation to exonerate them.

Rishi Sunak’s Government hopes to pass a law before the summer Parliamentary recess to clear those wrongly convicted south of the Border.

Any Scottish legislation would need to come afterwards as the manner of prosecution was differtresses ent. It emerged yesterday that Justice Secretary Angela Constance wrote to UK enterprise minister Kevin Hollinrake setting out 15 amendments which could extend the UK Bill to Scotland.

But the Westminster Government insists the entire process should be ‘determined, delivered and scrutinised’ in Scotland.

Around 100 subpostmasters in Scotland were among those wrongly convicted of embezzling money.

At First Minister’s Questions yesterday Humza Yousaf again urged the UK Government to include Scotland in its law.

He said: ‘We continue to press the UK Government to extend their Bill to cover subpostmasters and mishere in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has written to them today with suggested amendments to achieve this.’

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: ‘Victims of this scandal will see through this latest political gameplaying from the SNP government.

‘Ministers seem unwilling to accept that all prosecutions in Scotland were pursued by the Crown Office under our separate legal system. Humza Yousaf and his colleagues need to stop their constitutional grievance tactics and get on with delivering justice for Scottish victims.’

Nationalist MSP Fergus Ewing also put pressure on the Lord Advocate to deliver a ‘streamlined and expedited’ exoneration process.

He asked: ‘Why has the Lord Advocate not brought that forward, given that we all have the aim of the swiftest possible delivery of exoneration, of people whose lives have been ruined and in some cases are now dead?’

He pushed Mr Yousaf to publish ‘in draft’ Scottish legislation rather than letting it ‘drift on’ until the end of the year. The First Minister said the legislation is being worked on.

A UK Government spokesman said: ‘The Scottish Government has already indicated that they are bringing forward legislation and we are working closely with them as we progress legislation to ensure equitable outcomes for victims across the UK.’

‘Constitutional grievance tactics’