The federal government will provide compensation to Publish Workplace Seize victims – whereas refusing to rule out blanket exoneration for these convicted.
Seize accounting software program, which predates the scandal-hit Horizon IT system, was utilized by sub-postmasters of their branches between 1992 and 1999.
Underneath Horizon, a whole bunch of sub-postmasters had been wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015.
Earlier this yr the government-commissioned Kroll report discovered there was a “reasonable likelihood” that Seize brought on accounting losses and errors, though the report didn’t make any conclusions concerning the security of prison convictions.
Quite a lot of sub-postmasters had been convicted of theft and false accounting whereas utilizing the Seize IT system within the Nineties.
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Gareth Thomas mentioned ministers are going to supply redress to victims
“We recognise that there were significant problems for some sub-postmasters, at least some of whom used the Capture software, and had real difficulties in their branches.
“We’re now going to work at tempo throughout authorities, and with the Publish Workplace and sub-postmasters straight, to attempt to perceive how many individuals had been affected and the way we will provide redress most successfully going ahead.”
He insisted that after as a lot data as attainable had been obtained from the Publish Workplace the federal government would “be able to work through on a [redress] scheme”.
When requested repeatedly, nonetheless, if “blanket exoneration” was off the desk, Mr Thomas refused to straight reply.
He mentioned as an alternative that the “first stage” was to “work with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)”.
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Protesters exterior the Publish Workplace Horizon IT inquiry. Pic: PA
Mr Thomas added: “It’s the reason why we’ve asked the Post Office to go through all its records just to try and help us understand firstly how many people were affected in total by using Capture software, how many people saw problems in their branch, and also to try to understand how many people were then convicted.”
“That’s got to be the first stage,” he continued. “We’re working at pace and expect the Post Office to be working at a pace to make those judgements.
“And we are going to get that data to CCRC as quickly as we will – and we’ll make a judgement from that.”
A whole bunch of sub-postmasters who had been wrongly convicted of stealing due to faults within the Horizon system, launched after Seize, had been exonerated by means of laws earlier this yr.
Mr Thomas admitted he was additionally “worried about the level of information” out there “given the length of time since Capture was used”.
He emphasised the Publish Workplace had been instructed “as a matter of urgency” to look into its information and move on as a lot data as attainable.
The minister additionally insisted that the federal government has “a responsibility to work as fast as we can… and we are determined to do that”.
On potential redress schemes, the minister additionally mentioned the federal government has discovered from previous errors on compensation.
Mr Thomas mentioned some Horizon sub-postmasters had not been concerned “early enough” within the course of beforehand.
“That’s certainly something we don’t want to happen this time round,” he mentioned.
“I’m now actively talking to sub-postmasters and legal representatives so that we can get redress offered ultimately as quickly as is feasible.”
