THE Scottish Government is looking at the idea of a pardon scheme for the victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, the Justice Secretary has said.
There have been calls to pardon hundreds of subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted in what is thought to be the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history.
The issue is in the spotlight after ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office brought the scandal to widespread attention of the public.
Asked what action the Scottish Government is taking, Justice Secretary Angela Constance told MSPs the Horizon scandal is “rightly causing great concern” and the idea of a pardon scheme was being looked at.
However she said she had written to the UK Government to discuss how to work together as the current compensation scheme requires a conviction to be reversed by an appeal court.
Constance said: “Anyone wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal should have their conviction reversed and be entitled to compensation.
“The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission have already referred seven cases back to the Appeal Court for a fresh appeal and two of have had their convictions overturned on appeal so far.”
She added: “We are however looking at what more can be done, we are looking at the idea of a pardon scheme, but I am conscious that the UK Government have made a compensation scheme that requires a conviction to be reversed by an appeal court and that is a requirement before you can be in receipt of compensation.
“I have therefore today written to the UK Secretary of State for Justice to ask for a meeting to discuss how best we can work together and ensure that anyone wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal can have their conviction reversed and still be entitled to compensation.
It emerged today that former Post Office boss Paula Vennells is to hand back her CBE following the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal.
