Nationwide Criminal Investigation Launched by Police Into Post Office Scandal
The police investigation must consider findings from the ongoing public inquiry, and charging files are not expected to be sent to the CPS until 2026.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it will coordinate a nationwide criminal investigation related to the Post Office scandal.
The investigation, which began in January 2020, focuses on “offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice” in matters concerning the Post Office and Fujitsu, Scotland Yard confirmed in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.
A national investigation has been agreed upon by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and marks the “next phase” of the inquiry, according to Scotland Yard.
The investigation must consider the findings of the ongoing public inquiry, which is expected to conclude this year. The inquiry’s final report is anticipated to be released in the autumn of 2025, meaning charging files are unlikely to be submitted to the CPS before 2026.
‘Full Investigation’
Met Commander Stephen Clayman, overseeing the investigation, stated in the Epoch Times that a “team of detectives has been diligently working through millions of documents manually and with the help of specialist software, in parallel with the Public Inquiry.”
Commander Clayman emphasized, “Given the significant scale of the investigation, it has been agreed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) that the next phase of the investigation will be a national policing effort, coordinated by the Met, with the pursuit of justice at its heart.”
