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Criminal trials stemming from the Post Office Horizon IT scandal may not commence until 2028, according to the police commander leading the investigation, as reported by the BBC.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stephen Clayman stated, “The teams need to be really meticulous and [pay] attention to detail, but actually we are making some real progress.”
The investigation has identified seven individuals as suspects, with a further 45 to 50 potential suspects under consideration. However, investigators will not submit files to prosecutors until after the public inquiry’s final report is published, which is anticipated later this year.
Former sub-postmaster Tim Brentnall expressed that victims are “desperate to see some kind of accountability,” while also emphasizing the importance of the police “do[ing] it properly.”
The Horizon IT system, implemented in 1999, erroneously generated financial discrepancies at Post Office branches, for which sub-postmasters were held responsible.
Over 900 individuals were prosecuted, and some faced imprisonment. Tragically, some victims died while awaiting justice.
Legislation was enacted last year to overturn these convictions en masse.
Operation Olympos, the criminal investigation into the scandal, was initiated in 2020, with the first suspects interviewed in 2021.
The investigation intensified following the conclusion of the public phase of the inquiry in December of the previous year. Subsequently, two additional individuals, both men in their 60s, were interviewed under caution, meaning their statements could be used as evidence in court.
Commander Clayman explained that the police investigation began with “those at the front line – the Post Office investigators, solicitors, those who were involved in the immediate decision-making.”
He further noted, “We are beginning to scope looking at wider management. That will happen, and is happening, it will just take time to get there.”
While expressing confidence that criminal trials will occur, he acknowledged that the first may not begin until 2028.
Sir Wyn Williams, chair of the public inquiry, is scheduled to release Volume 1 of his final report on July 8th, with Volume 2 expected later in the year.
Following this, law enforcement will meticulously review the report, submit files to the Crown Prosecution Service, and await court dates, according to Commander Clayman.
“This isn’t uncommon,” he stated. “Other large investigations linked to a public inquiry have exactly the same thing. And I really do understand the frustration for those who are at the centre of this, who are the victims.”
Former sub-postmaster Tim Brentnall, from Roch, Pembrokeshire, faced prosecution in 2010 after a £22,500 shortfall was discovered at his branch. His conviction was overturned in 2021.
He recounted, “The way the Post Office prosecuted me was completely and wholly wrong, [I was] rushed in front of the courts like a rabbit in the headlights and told I was the only one in this position when I wasn’t.”
“But if the police have to take their time, they should take their time and do it properly.”
David Enright, a lawyer with Howe and Co, which represented seven of the ten sub-postmasters who participated in the inquiry, stated, “The fact is we have seen sub-postmaster after sub-postmaster die without ever seeing any true accountability. The question sub-postmasters ask themselves is: where is the urgency at the heart of the police investigation?”
Operation Olympos involves 108 officers stationed in four regional hubs. Commander Clayman spoke from the Metropolitan Police’s hub located near the top of a high-rise police office block in Sutton, South London.
The officers dedicate significant time to reviewing millions of digitized documents, which will constitute a substantial portion of the evidence in the cases.
The investigation initially involved 1.5 million documents, and this number is expected to increase to six million as more documents are uncovered.
Every police force in England and Wales is involved, as are the PSNI and Police Scotland.
Commander Clayman had previously criticized the Post Office for delays in providing information but noted that their cooperation has since improved. He added that Fujitsu has been “very co-operative.”
A Post Office spokesperson stated, “The Post Office has co-operated fully and openly with the Metropolitan Police since early 2020 to provide whatever information it needs for its investigations, and we continue to do so.”
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