'The sum will be £600,000. It is not up to £600,000, it is £600,000.'
More than 700 branch managers for the company were given criminal convictions when computer program Horizon made it look as though money was missing from their sites.while still waiting for justice.
The mistakes represented one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history as dozens of innocent people were sent to prison and others were driven to bankruptcy and suicide. Business minister Kevin Hollinrake told the Commons: ‘The government has decided that postmasters who have their convictions on the basis of Horizon evidence overturned should have the opportunity up front to accept an offer of a fixed sum in full and final settlement of their claim.It took 20 years of campaigning for victims to finally win a legal battle to have their cases reconsidered and convictions quashed.
The government said 86 convictions have been overturned and £21 million has been paid in compensation. Mr Hollinrake said: ‘Any postmaster who does not want to accept this offer can of course continue with the existing process. It will therefore be completely optional to accept the offer.’
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