Summary
Sir Alan Bates, a campaigner for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, has reached a settlement with the UK government after more than 20 years of efforts. The scandal involved the wrongful prosecution of over 900 subpostmasters due to errors in the Horizon computer system, leading to a significant financial and personal impact on those affected. The government has paid over £1.2 billion to the victims, but the compensation process has faced criticism for being slow and insufficient.
Key Facts
- Alan Bates led a group of 555 subpostmasters in a legal case against the Post Office.
- These subpostmasters were wrongly accused of financial shortfalls due to flaws in the Horizon IT system.
- The wrongful accusations led to over 900 prosecutions between 1999 and 2015.
- Many subpostmasters used personal savings to cover the supposed shortfalls to avoid prosecution.
- The government has settled with Bates but did not disclose the payment amount.
- Over £1.2 billion has been paid to over 9,000 victims by the government.
- The government now provides free legal advice for victims claiming compensation.
- Criticism of the compensation schemes includes claims of them being slow and unfair.
