Post Office scandal victims to get up to £100,000 payouts

VICTIMS of the Post Office scandal are to receive payouts of up to £100,000, the postal affairs minister has announced.

Hundreds of claimants have already taken legal action against the Post Office over the Horizon IT system, which was introduced between 1999 and 2000 and resulted in sub-postmasters being accused of theft owing to faulty software.

Some employees were imprisoned for crimes that they had not committed, which included theft and false accounting.

In a measure announced to Parliament yesterday, postmasters who have had their convictions overturned will be offered interim compensation of as much as £100,000 as they work with the Post Office towards final settlements.

“The suffering and distress these postmasters and their families have gone through cannot be overstated,” Paul Scully, the postal minister, told the House of Commons.

“While nothing will make up for the years of pain they faced after this appalling injustice, I hope this initial step provides a measure of comfort,” he said.