Truth And Justice For Victims Of Postmaster Scandal Must Be Priority

11th January 2024

Commenting following FMQs, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: "The lives of potentially hundreds of Scottish sub postmasters and their families were ruined by the Post Office and Fujitsu.

"People lost their livelihoods and some even lost their lives.

"They have described being ostracised in their communities, their families shunned and their children targeted. It is a national disgrace.

"I welcome that these convictions are being overturned, but there is more to this scandal.

“Unlike in England and Wales, where the Post Office itself brought these prosecutions, in Scotland they were carried out by the Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal.

“We know Ministers and the Crown were made aware of concerns around unsafe prosecutions in 2013.

“Disturbing accounts from the public inquiry have revealed Post Office employees going door to door in Scotland to threaten and extort money from sub-Postmasters.

“In behaviour reminiscent of the mob, these stories show that the Post Office behaved like a private police force and showed little regard for the law in Scotland.

“Sub-postmasters were pressured into accepting accusations of false accounting and forced to hand over thousands of pounds that day or face imprisonment.

“If any other organisation had behaved like this in Scotland we would expect to see criminal investigations into their conduct.

“Too often in this country when there is an injustice, the first instinct of institutions and of Government is to protect themselves.

“Whether it's the sub-postmasters taking on the Post Office, the Hillsborough scandal, the C-diff scandal at the Vale of Leven or victims of infections at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

“It shouldn't take victims disclosing the most harrowing moments of their lives to shame both of Scotland's Governments into action.

“Government is meant to be on the peoples' side, but tragically when victims come looking for justice all they get are more barriers put in their way - and the silence, denial and cover up compounds the injustice and amplifies their pain.

“Ministers - be they UK or Scottish - always say we must learn the lessons and it can’t be allowed to happen again. But it does.

“The priority for Government should be truth and justice for victims, rather than protecting institutions and individual reputations."

Transcript
The case is based on Peter Worsfold who was a sub-postmaster in Inverness between 1997 and 2002. His evidence was given to the public inquiry on 11 May 2022 - page 45-66 of the transcript at this link: https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/file/449/download?token=NEa7HDkq