More than 141 Post Office convictions could be quashed in Scotland

More than 140 convictions related to the Post Office’s Horizon scandal could be quashed in Scotland.

The Scottish government has identified 141 cases where people could be eligible to be exonerated under new legislation that came into force in June.

However, a Freedom of Information request shows the justice secretary has so far written to only two victims to tell them their convictions have been overturned as a result of the new law.

Hundreds of sub-postmasters across the UK were wrongly accused of crimes such as theft or fraud on the basis of Horizon – a faulty IT system used by the Post Office.

The Scottish government said it should have contacted the majority of people eligible within the next two months.

The scandal was described as the biggest “miscarriage of justice” in British history, with workers being taken to court – and in some cases jailed or financially ruined – as a result of flawed data produced by the system that often showed incorrect financial shortfalls.

The number of possible cases in Scotland is an increase on previously estimated numbers.

In 2020 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) – which investigates possible miscarriages of justice – wrote to more than 70 potential victims in Scotland.

Eight people have also been been cleared through the Scottish courts.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “The Scottish government is clear that anyone wrongly convicted as a result of the defective Horizon IT system should have their conviction quashed, and as a result be entitled to UK government compensation.

“Since the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed, the Scottish government has identified 141 cases that could be eligible.

“This is a very complex process involving several partner agencies and the handling of sensitive personal information and data.

“With the necessary procedures now in place, the Scottish government has started to inform individuals and expect within the next two months to confirm with the majority of eligible people that they have had their convictions quashed.”

The Scottish Parliament introduced legislation to automatically exonerate victims, but in August some victims said they were still waiting for updates on whether they had been cleared or not.

Unlike England and Wales, where the Post Office itself prosecuted cases, in Scotland the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service holds sole responsibility for prosecutions.

Japanese company Fujitsu developed the Horizon system for tasks such as accounting and stocktaking and it was introduced by the Post Office in 1999.

Sub-postmasters raised issues regarding bugs in the system after it falsely reported shortfalls – often for many thousands of pounds – but their concerns were repeatedly dismissed by the Post Office.

The drama was thrust into the public spotlight by ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which focused on former sub-postmaster Alan Bates and his campaign for justice.

A public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing.

By the end of August approximately £289m has been paid to more than 2,800 claimants across four compensation schemes.