Dozens of postal operators wrongly accused of embezzlement by the postal service due to defective accounting software could be disqualified from a special compensation scheme.
At least 170 branch managers have been told they may not be reimbursed for money wrongly deducted from their salaries in what has been described as “the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history” because they did not know for the scheme, which was launched in just three months during the 2020 blockade.
More than 700 branch managers were convicted of fraud between 2000 and 2014 after Horizon, a new computer system installed by the Post Office, showed obvious deficiencies in their accounts. Hundreds of others have been sentenced to pay up to five figures after being accused of stealing money from the post office.
The historic shortage scheme (HSS) to compensate for those left out of pocket was set up in 2020 after the post office acknowledged years of failure, but the plaintiffs were given only three months to apply. The scheme was extended for another 15 weeks after pressure from activists, but those who missed the deadline face an indefinite wait to hear if their claims will be considered.
Vivien Hammond, 87, is one of those who filed a late lawsuit after the scheme closed before she found out. She said her late husband cut his salary when the Horizon system was installed because postal officials mistakenly accused him of accounting omissions. “We have never been informed of a compensation scheme for those who paid what they asked for without being convicted,” she said. “I wrote to the post office for information, but never received a response, and when I consulted a lawyer, they told me I had to apply in 2020. Since my husband was dying of cancer in 2020, my attention was elsewhere.”
The National Aid Federation (NFSP) is running a failed campaign to reopen the scheme without an end date so that overdue claims can be dealt with. “Despite regular comments in the press or radio and television programs over the years, we believe there are some colleagues who are not yet aware of the HSS or could file a lawsuit,” said NFSP CEO Callum Greenhau. “The NFSP believes that it is imperative that all colleagues who have suffered unexplained losses be able to sue under the scheme.
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The postal service said it had written to thousands of postal operators when the scheme was launched and was aware of at least 170 late plaintiffs, including Hammond. He said he was reviewing how he could help them, but said he did not have the financial resources to adequately compensate and relied on state funding. He declined to say when he expected a decision on overdue claims to be made, but said he had written to the plaintiffs for more information. Hammond says she has not received a letter. So far, 48% of the 2,336 eligible applicants who applied on time have received payments.
A spokesman for the post office said: “We have no doubts about the human costs of the Horizon scandal and our priority is to ensure that there is adequate, meaningful compensation for the victims.
Hammond says she is unsure how much her husband was forced to pay at the post office when deficiencies were misidentified. “I don’t care if it’s tuppence ha’penny, because it’s a matter of principle,” she said. “How is it possible for the post offices to take advantage of an error in their computer system that they should have identified at the time?” My husband brought to the grave the knowledge that he had been falsely accused, and I want it admitted that he was not dishonest. “
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