Rishi Sunak has said the Government is “looking at” the option of exonerating all postmasters involved in the Horizon scandal.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, the Prime Minister said exonerating all postmasters was being “looked at” by the Justice Secretary.
Asked if the Government would remove the Post Office’s ability to investigate and prosecute, he said: “The Justice Secretary is looking at the things that you’ve described, it wouldn’t be right to pre-empt that process, obviously there’s legal complexity in all of those things but he is looking at exactly those areas.”
Earlier in the programme, Mr Sunak said: “Everyone has been shocked by watching what they have done over the past few days and beyond and it is an appalling miscarriage of justice.
“Obviously it’s something that happened in the ’90s but actually seeing it and hearing about it again just shows what an appalling miscarriages of justice it is for everyone affected and it’s important that those people now get the justice they deserve, and that’s what the compensation schemes are about.
“The Government has paid out about £150 million to thousands of people already. Of course we want to get the money to the people as quickly as possible, that’s why there are interim payments of up to, I think, £600,000 that can be made.
“There are three different schemes available and for anyone affected they should come forward.”
More than 700 Post Office branch managers were handed criminal convictions after faulty Fujitsu accounting software called Horizon made it appear as though money was missing from their outlets.
