London, England – Dozens of former subpostmasters who were wrongfully convicted of theft and false accounting due to a faulty accounting system have been vindicated by the Court of Appeal, clearing their names. Between 1999 and 2015, 736 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted and convicted based on inaccurate data generated by the Horizon software program, created by Japanese company Fujitsu. This software failure led to thousands of people being forced to repay non-existent losses, causing financial ruin, serious health issues, and even suicide in some cases. The sub-postmasters were held accountable for deficits incurred by their branches and forced to repay the erroneous losses themselves.
In 2019, after a 20-year legal battle led by the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA), the High Court ruled that the Horizon software was responsible for the losses. Subsequently, a government-ordered public inquiry was scheduled for the following year. Horizon, manufactured by Fujitsu in 1999, was meant to manage financial transactions in Post Office branches but soon resulted in false reporting of cash shortfalls.
Senior leadership at the Post Office ignored warnings from staff about the software’s inaccuracies and instead accused postmasters of financial wrongdoing. Private prosecutions were launched against employees who tried to manually alter the data or were unable to repay the non-existent losses. These convictions often amounted to tens of thousands of pounds.
So far, only 93 convictions have been overturned, with the remaining cases still being assessed. However, the thousands of people who lost their homes, livelihoods, or were driven into bankruptcy have not yet received substantial compensation. The Criminal Cases Review Commission has described the Post Office Horizon scandal as the most widespread miscarriage of justice it has ever seen.
In response to the scandal, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has referred to it as “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history.” He pledged to introduce new legislation to swiftly exonerate and compensate all those affected by criminal convictions resulting from the scandal. The revelations surrounding this injustice have sparked widespread calls for mass exonerations and compensation for the victims.
The public anger over the scandal has caused Paula Vennells, the former CEO of the Post Office between 2012 and 2019, to return her high-ranking honours award. The government also expressed its willingness to pursue Fujitsu for compensation if the ongoing public inquiry finds the Japanese IT firm at fault.
Victims of the scandal have been sharing their stories through major news outlets, highlighting the abuse they suffered in their communities and the negative impact on their families. Tom Hedges, a former subpostmaster with a Post Office near Skegness, England, spoke of his life being “wrecked” by the false allegations that led to his removal and conviction. His conviction was finally overturned in 2021.
A public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing, with a recent disclosure hearing shedding light on the extent of the injustice. The inquiry is expected to continue into the middle of this year. It is crucial that justice is served, and compensation is provided to all those affected by this far-reaching miscarriage of justice.