'Ultimate deterrent': Post Office minister wants to see people jailed over Horizon IT scandal
13 January 2024, 08:08 | Updated: 13 January 2024, 08:10
Those responsible for the Horizon IT scandal should be jailed, the Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake has said.
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Mr Hollinrake said people "must be held to account" once the official inquiry, which is currently ongoing, reaches its verdicts.
More than 900 people were convicted after Fujitsu's faulty IT system Horizon made it look like money was missing from Post Office accounts.
Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 after being accused of stealing money.
Some went to jail, while others died before getting a chance at justice. Several postmasters committed suicide.
Postal minister Kevin Hollinrake discusses existing government Fujitsu contracts
"If it's individuals, those people can be criminally prosecuted, potentially, and potentially can go to jail," Mr Hollinrake told the Any Questions show.
"I think we'd all like to see that kind of route taken. People must be held to account."
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Asked if he would like to see those responsible in prison, Mr Hollinrake said: "I absolutely do."
It comes after the government announced it would be bringing in a new law to clear and compensate those affected by the Post Office scandal.
All postmasters who were wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon system's failings will have the convictions overturned.
Mr Hollinrake previously told LBC that all compensation should be paid out by August.
