Rishi Sunak to exonerate wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters

Rishi Sunak will unveil a scheme on Wednesday to exonerate wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters, as the Prime Minister said that “nothing can make up for what they’ve been through”.

Mr Sunak said the proposed Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill marked “an important step forward in finally clearing” the names of hundreds of wrongfully convicted branch managers who had their lives “callously torn apart”.

More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted after bugs and errors in Fujtisu’s Horizon software reported non-existent shortfalls on their accounts.

More than a hundred sub-postmasters have already successfully quashed their convictions in court.

As he unveils the bill on Wednesday, Mr Sunak will pay tribute to those who passed away before their names were cleared.

It is thought that at least 60 wrongfully convicted postmasters have died waiting for justice.

He will say: “I want to pay tribute to all the postmasters who have shown such courage and perseverance in their fierce campaign for justice, and to those who tragically won’t see the justice they deserve.

“While I know that nothing can make up for what they’ve been through, today’s legislation marks an important step forward in finally clearing their names.

“We owe it to the victims of this scandal who have had their lives and livelihoods callously torn apart, to deliver the justice they’ve fought so long and hard for, and to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

However, on Tuesday night, Alan Bates, whose fight for justice was dramatised in the ITV series Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, said he feared the law could be a “distraction” - at a time when many sub-postmasters are still awaiting redress months after submitting claims.

A total of £1billion has been put aside to compensate Horizon victims - but just 20 per cent of the budget has been paid out so far, the business and trade select committee recorded in a report last week.

They include Mr Bates and several of his colleagues who achieved success in a 555-strong high court case in 2019.

Mr Bates said: “What I think they really need to do is focus on getting the money to the GLO (the Group Litigation Order) group. Things like this can be just a distraction to that.”

The proposed legislation will automatically exonerate those convicted provided they meet a set criteria including that offences were carried out between 1996 and 2018 - and that they were relevant offences such as theft, fraud and false accounting.

However, a Government source confirmed on Tuesday night that those who had lost appeals to quash convictions would not be eligible.

Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, said ministers “won’t rest until every victim receives the compensation they are entitled to”.

“It is absolutely right that we sweep away the convictions wrongly given to postmasters on the basis of bad evidence, and it is a disgrace that they were ever pursued by the Post Office,” she said.

The Government will also bring forward “enhanced” financial redress for postmasters who, while not convicted or part of legal action against the Post Office, made good the apparent losses caused by the Horizon system from their own pockets.

They will be entitled to a fixed sum award of £75,000 through the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, Downing Street said.

Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham and member of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, said: “It is essential that we get this Bill passed as soon as possible before summer recess so that those affected can get the justice and compensation they have fought so long for.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan Reynolds, Labour’s shadow business secretary, said: “Sub-postmasters have been vindicated in their courageous search for justice after so many lost their livelihoods, liberty, and even lives because the Post Office wrongly felt workers were inherently dishonest, while technology was infallible.

“This legislation alone does not deliver justice in full and we must get compensation to victims at pace if we are ever to get justice for sub-postmasters. Labour will work with the Government to ensure justice is delivered in a swift and proper manner.”