Police Confirm That There Will Be No Criminal Trials Related to Post Office Horizon Scandal Until 2027
Last month, the Metropolitan Police Service announced that they had identified four suspects in the investigation, and this number is expected to increase.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), any charging decisions and criminal trials related to the Post Office Horizon scandal will not occur until 2027. The NPCC cited the “unprecedented” scale, complexity, and scope of the investigation as reasons for this timeline.
The investigation, known as Operation Olympos, began in 2020 and has been running concurrently with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, which started in February 2022.
While the public inquiry is nearing its end, the criminal investigation is ongoing, and the NPCC stated that “no charging decisions will be made until the final inquiry report is received and reviewed thoroughly.”
The nationwide investigation involves a team of 100 investigators from all four UK home nations and focuses on offenses like perjury and perverting the course of justice. The suspects under scrutiny include individuals from the Post Office, Fujitsu, and the legal profession.
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The Metropolitan Police Service revealed that they had already identified four suspects in the investigation last month, and this figure is expected to increase over time.
Since 2021, three individuals have been interviewed under caution, with the most recent interview taking place in September. It is anticipated that the number of people to be questioned will also rise in the coming year.
Thousands of Victims
The police estimate that there could be over 3,000 victims impacted by the scandal.
Commander Stephen Clayman, leading Operation Olympos, emphasized that the investigation aims to bring justice to those affected by the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. This scandal resulted in numerous subpostmasters wrongly convicted of theft, false accounting, and fraud due to faulty accounting software.
Clayman stated: “The scale of the task ahead is unprecedented, and I am confident that we have an excellent team in place, supported by cutting-edge technology to aid our search for information and evidence among the 1.5 million plus documents obtained, with more to come.
“Considering Post Office criminal and private prosecutions, civil claims, and contract withdrawals, there are potentially thousands of victims that we are striving to identify and include in our database to ensure we reach as many affected individuals as possible.”
The commander acknowledged that conducting such a comprehensive investigation meticulously and methodically will require time.
Inquiry Nearing Completion
A spokesperson for the Post Office stated: “Post Office has fully cooperated with the Metropolitan Police since early 2020, providing all necessary information for their investigations.
“This includes fulfilling extensive requests for large volumes of data, all of which we have complied with. Additionally, we have disclosed nearly 500,000 documents to the Horizon IT Inquiry.”
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells arriving to give evidence on her third day at the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House, central London on May 24, 2024. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
The spokesperson confirmed that the Post Office will continue to collaborate with the police during their investigations.
On December 16 and 17, the inquiry will hear closing statements, after which it will continue to gather and analyze evidence before preparing the final report.
Wrongful Convictions
Between 1999 and 2015, over 900 subpostmasters were wrongly convicted of embezzlement based on inaccurate data from the Horizon accounting system developed by Fujitsu.
Despite mounting evidence of the faulty IT system providing misleading information about missing money from branches, these individuals were convicted. In December 2019, a High Court judge ruled that Horizon had numerous “bugs, errors, and defects” and there was a “material risk” that branch account shortfalls were due to the IT system.
Former subpostmaster and lead campaigner Alan Bates (R) and his wife Suzanne Sercombe (L) arrive at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry at Aldwych House, central London, on April 6, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Individuals whose convictions have been overturned are entitled to compensation from the government. As of October 31, over £438 million has been paid to more than 3,100 claimants.
PA Media contributed to this report.
