The wrongful prosecution and conviction of more than 900 postmasters highlights the erosion of the systems designed to uphold institutional accountability in the United Kingdom. It also underscores the growing threat of a legal paradigm in which individuals are presumed guilty until proven innocent.
LONDON – A new TV drama has brought to light one of the greatest injustices in the history of the United Kingdom, prompting a long-overdue public reckoning and raising hopes for much-needed institutional accountability.
The Post Office Scandal, as it is known in the UK, involves the wrongful prosecution and conviction of more than 900 postal workers for theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015, owing to faulty software. Although the British government has announced plans to exonerate and compensate those who were convicted, the fact that it took more than 20 years and a hit TV show to spark public outrage reflects poorly on the rule of law and protection of civil liberties in the UK.
The plot of Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office, a four-part ITV drama, could have been lifted from a dystopian novel. In 1999, the British Post Office introduced Horizon, a new accounting-software package developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu. From the very beginning, sub-postmasters (self-employed individuals operating postal outlets, typically within small general stores) complained that the new system falsely reported shortfalls. Instead of fixing the bugs, management prosecuted hundreds of workers for fraud and embezzlement. Many faced financial ruin, others were jailed, and at least four committed suicide.
LONDON – A new TV drama has brought to light one of the greatest injustices in the history of the United Kingdom, prompting a long-overdue public reckoning and raising hopes for much-needed institutional accountability.
The Post Office Scandal, as it is known in the UK, involves the wrongful prosecution and conviction of more than 900 postal workers for theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015, owing to faulty software. Although the British government has announced plans to exonerate and compensate those who were convicted, the fact that it took more than 20 years and a hit TV show to spark public outrage reflects poorly on the rule of law and protection of civil liberties in the UK.
The plot of Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office, a four-part ITV drama, could have been lifted from a dystopian novel. In 1999, the British Post Office introduced Horizon, a new accounting-software package developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu. From the very beginning, sub-postmasters (self-employed individuals operating postal outlets, typically within small general stores) complained that the new system falsely reported shortfalls. Instead of fixing the bugs, management prosecuted hundreds of workers for fraud and embezzlement. Many faced financial ruin, others were jailed, and at least four committed suicide.