Police probe Britain’s Post Office for accusing over 700 employees of theft. The culprit was an IT glitch

The United Kingdom's police force has initiated a fraud investigation into the country's Post Office. This follows a grave injustice where hundreds of postmasters were falsely accused of theft due to a malfunctioning computer system. The Metropolitan Police announced that they are probing potential fraudulent activities related to the prosecutions. These activities are linked to the money the Post Office received from the accused postal workers, either through prosecutions or civil actions. The police are also investigating possible perjury and obstruction of justice during the Post Office's investigations and prosecutions.

From 1999 to 2015, over 700 post office branch managers were accused of theft or fraud. This was because the computers erroneously indicated that money was missing. Many of these managers were financially devastated after being compelled to pay large sums to the company. Some were even convicted and incarcerated, and several tragically ended their own lives. The actual culprit was a faulty computer accounting system named Horizon, provided by the Japanese tech firm Fujitsu. This system was installed in local Post Office branches in 1999.

The Post Office insisted for years that the data from Horizon was reliable. They accused branch managers of dishonesty when the system indicated missing money. After years of advocacy by the victims and their lawyers, the Court of Appeal overturned 39 of the convictions in 2021. The judge stated that the Post Office was aware of serious issues with Horizon's reliability and had committed severe failures in their investigation and disclosure. To date, 93 postal workers have had their convictions overturned, but many others are still awaiting exoneration. Only 30 have accepted full and final compensation payments. A public inquiry into the scandal has been ongoing since 2022. So far, no one from the publicly owned Post Office or other involved companies has been arrested or faced criminal charges.