The British government is set to introduce a new law aimed at overturning the wrongful convictions of subpostmasters involved in the Horizon IT scandal. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the proposed Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill as a crucial step in clearing the names of hundreds of branch managers who have been unjustly convicted due to the faulty Horizon accounting software.
Under the new legislation, convictions will be automatically quashed if they meet specific criteria, including being prosecuted by the Post Office or Crown Prosecution Service, being related to Post Office business between 1996 and 2018, and involving offenses such as theft, fraud, and false accounting. Those with overturned convictions will receive an interim payment and have the option to accept a fixed and final offer of £600,000.
The Horizon IT scandal affected more than 700 subpostmasters who were wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015. The government will also provide enhanced financial redress for postmasters who made good the apparent losses caused by the Horizon system from their own pockets.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake expressed hope that the new legislation would bring closure to the long-standing fight for justice by postmasters. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that every victim receives the compensation they deserve.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk acknowledged the exceptional circumstances of the scandal and the need for a swift and fair resolution for those who were wrongly convicted. However, there is a risk that the legislation could overturn convictions of genuinely guilty individuals, prompting the requirement for subpostmasters to sign a legal statement confirming their innocence.
The Law Society cautioned against potential challenges in implementing such a complex proposal and urged careful consideration to avoid setting a precedent for government intervention in the independent judiciary. The government aims to have the bill receive royal assent and become law before MPs’ summer holiday.