The public inquiry into the Post Office scandal has revealed that the Post Office often blamed “incompetent” or “criminal” subpostmasters when pressured about issues with its error-prone Horizon system. Former government minister Margot James stated that the Post Office board viewed the subpostmasters as guilty and assumed they were at fault. She also criticized civil servants for not following the values of integrity, honesty, impartiality, and objectivity.
Other former ministers have also condemned the Shareholder Executive (ShEx), the government body overseeing the Post Office, for losing objectivity in handling the Horizon scandal. Questions remain unanswered about the scandal, with some suggesting that the ShEx officials lacked the necessary public service mindset. It was also revealed that independent reports from forensic accountants uncovered problems with the Horizon system, but were not properly investigated.
The Post Office scandal, brought to light by Computer Weekly in 2009, has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history. The inquiry continues to uncover the truth behind the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters and the failures of the Post Office to address the issues with the Horizon system.