The Post Office Scandal: who’s to blame for Britain’s greatest miscarriage of justice?

Why are more than 700 postmasters still trying to clear their names and access even the most basic compensation more than two decades after they were falsely accused of theft?

On today's episode Adeep Sethi tells us how his family warned the Post Office in 2002 about Horizon's problems - he has the proof in a newspaper article. Twenty two years on, and torn apart, they are still fighting for justice.

We ask Tory MP and campaigner David Davis whether British justice has failed.

A spokesperson for Fujitsu - who rolled out the Horizon system - said: "Fujitsu has apologised for its role in their suffering. Fujitsu is fully committed to supporting the Post Office Horizon IT statutory Inquiry in order to understand what happened and to learn from it. Out of respect for the Inquiry process, it would be inappropriate for Fujitsu to comment further at this time.”

And how did Helen Harrison - partner of disgraced Tory MP Peter Bone - get selected as the candidate for his newly vacated seat of Wellingborough? It's a News Agents mystery.

#TOPIC #NewsAgents #EmilyMaitlis #JonSopel #LewisGoodall

Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall – three of the UK’s top journalists – host a brand-new daily news podcast: The News Agents.

They’re not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. Expect astute analysis and explanation of the day's news – and a healthy dose of scepticism and the ability to laugh at it all when needed!

Episodes are available every weekday afternoon.

The News Agents is a Global Player Original podcast and a Persephonica production.

[phil]

Don't forget Private Eye also kept banging on about this story

[GorgeDawes]

I find it profoundly frustrating that it is only now, after a well-made TV dramatisation, that anyone is paying serious attention to this appalling scandal. Computer Weekly has been covering this since 2009, Private Eye since 2011, Panorama since 2015. This is not a new story! Justice delayed is justice denied.

[YippeePlopFork]

A society that requires a tv show to motivate it to deal with injustice, is about as corrupt as it gets.

[gohumberto]

Paula Vennells MUST have known, as must her predecessors. They were happy to receive tens of millions in salary whilst knowing full well about the misery they were causing.

[riggstwenty]

It makes me sick to my stomach that it is highly unlikely anyone will face prosecution for this unimaginable negligence and persecution .

[Intel]

Where were the Post Office's external auditors? Total incompetence not to investigate this issue.

[rimini]

This. The very notion that over 700 people spread across villages and towns across the uk, working for the same organisation, would suddenly start stealing is simply preposterous

[stephfoxwell]

When I worked for a Government department, Fujitsu provided the computers.
They were so often down ( at least an hour a day) they had to open an onsite office to deal with constant problems.
They were paid £540 million for something not fit for purpose.

[andym.]

I just can’t wait until they come out with the line ‘Post Office Executives are innocent until proven guilty’ 😡

[philippepalmer]

The first investigation into Horizon was published in 2009 by Computer Weekly after a year-long investigation by its reporter Rebecca Thomson and was picked up the following year by Private Eye who have never since then stopped running this story on a regular basis so what did these two publications see that the main stream printed media inadvertently completely missed or more likely and this is just my opinion, chose to miss.

[davesy]

Fujitsu and Post Office manglement need to be held to account over this- this was a massive scandal that was largely ignored by our media.

[buntyjoy]

The next thing that needs a light shining on it is those accused of benefit fraud when it's all down to DWP negligence but its easier to blame those without power

[kjhaz]

Thanks for your comments. I was struck by a parallel with mis-management at the CoOperative Bank a few years ago, where the guy in charge was revealed, eventually, to be a mendacious drug addicted charlaton. Like Paula Venells, he too was a church lay minister which falsely enhanced his credibility for probity and honesty. We are still waiting for a comment from the Church of England about Paula Venell's position with them in the light of her dishonesty and callous disregard for the well-being of her sub-postmaster staff.

[jimc]

Obvious question. When did the errors stop ? Unless they are still occurring today, somebody has identified and rectified the systems error. So, it was known about and fixed therefore the Post Office has willfully prosecuted people after the fact and defended the indefensible.

Heads must roll

[rpm]

can you imagine the uproar if there is little or no accountability? there HAS to be accountability given the focus there is on this situation. I am so angry about this.

[brianmaclellan]

There was a similar scandal in the Netherlands where the tax authorities wrongly accused up to 26, 000 families of fraudulently claiming child benefit support. This led to the collapse and resignation of the government. The comparisons are there but the final outcome somewhat different

[MO_c]

A lady who helps me with my cleaning said that she used to work in the Post Office and had to pay £500.00 shortfall. There must be thousands of these people.

[ANonymous-pxn]

It’s not just compensation, what about the money that these people had to pay back?! This should have been dealt with by the post office straight away.

[paulcarter]

when are the snr mgt of the Post Office and Fujitsu going to be prosecuted and go to prison for perverting the course of justice!

[grahammearns]

Remember Baroness Mone "never mind I just lied to some journalists" as if it didn't matter. Well, this is why it matters.