Four suspects identified in Post Office Horizon investigation, Metropolitan Police say

Police have identified four suspects who are investigating possible criminal charges as part of the Post Office Horizon scandal.

The Metropolitan Police said more potential suspects will be identified as the investigation into one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in British history continues.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted after flawed Horizon accounting software gave the impression that money was missing from their accounts.

Hundreds are still waiting for compensation, despite the previous government announcing that those whose convictions were quashed would be eligible for a £600,000 payout.

The Met said members of the investigation team met chief campaigner and former deputy postmaster Sir Alan Bates on Sunday to provide an update on the investigation.

Detectives have previously said they are investigating allegations of fraud, perjury and perverting the course of justice in connection with investigations and prosecutions conducted by the Post Office.

Two people have been interviewed on a preliminary basis, but no one has been arrested since the investigation began in January 2020.

In a statement, police said: “On Sunday 17 November, members of the investigation team met with Sir Alan Bates and a number of involved sub-postmasters to provide an update on our progress and next steps, following an invitation to do so.

“Our investigation team, made up of armed forces officers from across the UK, is now in place and we will share further details in due course.

“The team is preparing to contact other affected subpostmasters shortly.”

The statement added: “Although four suspects have been formally identified at this stage, this number will increase as the investigation progresses.”

The Met’s update came as Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas was questioned by MPs about the organization’s and government’s legal costs in restoring victims of the scandal.

Former Postal Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake previously apologized to the Horizon IT investigation for allowing the previous government to “arm itself with lawyers” as it sought redress.

Asked whether he agreed with Mr Hollinrake that it would be worrying if the Government were to arm itself with lawyers, Mr Thomas told the Business and Trade Committee: “If I were to arm myself, I would absolutely not rely on my feel comfortable with those kinds of statements.”

When asked if he believed the previous administration was armed with lawyers, he continued: “I’m not going to comment on what happened before, other than to say I’ve been clear: we want both a faster compensation process, but a that continues to deliver full and fair settlements.”

Chairman of the committee Liam Byrne intervened: “We can tell you what led up to it because the total legal bill spent by the taxpayer on lawyers for this miscarriage of justice is approximately £268 million.”

Mr Thomas replied: “As I said earlier, Mr Byrne, we are trying to take a number of steps to speed up the compensation process, and where we have concerns about the cost of legal advice – as we have done to a large extent in relation to some of the lawyers the Post Office currently uses – we have been clear about making our concerns crystal clear to the Post Office going forward.”

Mr Byrne asked: “Is the Post Office spending too much on lawyers?”

Mr Thomas said: “We have encouraged them to take a hard look, dare I say it, at how much they are paying and what they are asking lawyers to do.

“We certainly think that some of the tasks that the lawyers perform can be accomplished in a less costly manner.”

The committee chairman said: “Sounds like ‘yes’.”

“Yes, it’s probably a yes, Mr. Byrne,” Mr. Thomas replied.

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