Between 1999 and 2015 at least 3,500 sub-postmasters across the UK were wrongly blamed for discrepancies in the accounts of the post offices they ran – when the real cause was faulty software. This is the crux of a scandal that involves Fujitsu, Japan’s biggest technology company, as well as the Post Office and the UK government that owned it. At the time the Horizon system, which cost £1bn, was the largest non-military IT system in Europe. An ITV drama screened last week, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, has pushed this disgraceful saga back into the news. But in many cases justice, if it comes at all, will be too late. At least four sub-postmasters have taken their own lives in the intervening years, while others died of natural causes before receiving compensation.
Two decades after victims first identified IT problems as the probable cause of the discrepancies, it is far from clear how or when their campaign will conclude. A public inquiry was established in 2020, and made statutory – giving it increased powers – a year later. There is more than one compensation scheme, but progress has been shockingly slow. So far 93 criminal convictions have been quashed in what the Criminal Cases Review Commission has called the “most widespread miscarriage of justice” it has ever seen – with a total of 700 people convicted of theft or other offences linked to their accounts. Last week, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the Post Office itself is under criminal investigation for potential fraud. Two former Fujitsu experts have been investigated for perjury and perverting the course of justice.
It is a David and Goliath tale, on TV as in real life, pitting “skint little people” against a state-owned company and a multinational corporation. The sub-postmasters’ courage and persistence deserve the highest praise. But while the new spotlight on their story is welcome, and viewers will have celebrated their victories over reputation-obsessed executives, there is no happy ending to be had in a situation where so many people’s lives have been irreparably harmed. Even now, many obstacles remain in the way of a resolution for the survivors.
High on any list of these are the many outstanding criminal convictions, with at least 236 sub-postmasters sent to prison for offences they did not commit. Given what is now known about the circumstances of these cases, it should not be beyond ministers to come up with a way of expediting the process of clearing people’s names. Compensation must also be speeded up. Currently, the delays in offering redress to those affected risk compounding the original harm. The decision to award a CBE to Paula Vennells in 2018 also seems to have been calculated to offend. As the chief executive of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019, she bears ultimate responsibility for what took place in those years.
Beyond this and the renewed pressure for accountability, including in the criminal courts if laws were broken by Post Office or Fujitsu managers, Horizon offers a cautionary tale about technology – and what can happen when businesses put their faith in computers over people. The privatisation of the Royal Mail, and its separation from the Post Office, is also part of the backdrop to the scandal. How this change affected the organisation’s culture is also worth considering. While these cruel past events cannot be undone, at last they are gaining wider recognition.
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