The inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal reveals the profound impact on affected sub-postmasters, including wrongful convictions, mental health issues, and suicides, while exposing the Post Office's knowledge of system errors, unacceptable behavior, and the need for improved compensation and restorative justice measures.
Fujitsu, the Japanese IT company involved in the U.K. Post Office scandal, has acknowledged a "moral responsibility" to compensate sub-postmasters who suffered due to its faulty software, with the company's Europe director stating a commitment to contribute to redress for those wrongfully prosecuted between 1999 and 2015.
The UK government plans to overturn the convictions of over 900 people linked to the Post Office scandal and compensate more than 4,000 individuals. There are three main compensation schemes: the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, the Overturned Convictions scheme, and the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. The GLO scheme offers at least £75,000 upfront, the Overturned Convictions scheme provides a fast-tracked £600,000 settlement, and the Horizon Shortfall Scheme is for sub-postmasters who weren't convicted. As of December 2023, £138m has been paid to 2,700 claimants, with individual payments ranging from £10,000 to "well over £1m".