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Post Office scandal: government to pay for postmasters compensation scheme

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TrueBlueTerrier
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Post Office scandal: government to pay for postmasters compensation scheme

Post by TrueBlueTerrier »

https://inews.co.uk/news/post-office-sc ... TO=newsnow

The postmaster compensation scheme is to be confirmed in parliament this week

The government has agreed to pay for a compensation scheme for postmasters who were wrongfully convicted of theft and fraud as part of the Horizon scandal.

It comes after the Post Office said it was unable to cover the payments to hundreds of former managers who have since being exonerated.

The government has now to agreed to pay on the Post Office’s behalf, as its only shareholder, Sky News reported.

It is understood that the total amount paid out through the scheme will be in the hundreds of millions.

A parliamentary statement, which will lay out the details of the scheme, is set to be made as early as Tuesday. Discussions about final settlements will then begin with the individuals involved.

A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), said the impact of the scandal – which was one of Britain’s biggest miscarriages of justice – on postmasters “cannot be overstated”.

“Government is committed to seeing these long-standing Horizon issues resolved, providing financial support for the Historical Shortfall Scheme and for interim compensation payments for postmasters with overturned convictions.

“We are also learning what went wrong through the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, and ensuring something like this cannot happen again.”

A total of 736 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 2000 and 2014, based on faulty information from its IT system, Horizon.

It led to some being sentenced to prison, while others were left in financial ruin and unable to seek new employment.

Dozens of the convictions have since been quashed by High Court rulings following a large-scale investigation.

In a landmark ruling at the Court of Appeal this year, 39 former branch managers’ convictions were overturned.

The Post Office has said it is still seeking to contact around 540 people with convictions that may be related to Horizon flaws.
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