Recent revelations from the Post Office Inquiry have highlighted ongoing scepticism towards postmasters within the organisation.
- Former Post Office chair Henry Staunton discussed this distrust, revealing that internal lawyers continued to investigate postmaster cases using questionable data as of last year.
- Despite established compensation schemes, there remains little government enthusiasm for decisive action, according to Staunton.
- The testimony illustrated the lingering belief within the Post Office that the majority of convictions tied to the Horizon IT scandal are justified.
- Staunton criticised the harsh and adversarial approach of the Post Office’s legal team toward compensating the wrongfully convicted.
Recent statements at the Post Office Inquiry have shed light on a pervasive distrust within the company towards its postmasters, as underscored by former chair Henry Staunton. He disclosed that even this year, some lawyers affiliated with the organisation were commissioning investigations into postmasters based on dubious data.
Staunton, who served from December 2022, was surprised by the lack of government support for significant compensation efforts he anticipated would be overwhelming. He found it disconcerting that there was minimal appreciation for the scandal’s magnitude and little discussion on clearing the names of over 700 postmasters wrongfully convicted from the Horizon IT system.
A triage revealed that only 12% of cases reviewed were considered for concession by the Post Office, which in itself was a telling statistic. In one board meeting, the remediation team reported that many convictions seemed secure, which Staunton argued reflected a failure to acknowledge the ‘industrial scale’ injustice experienced by the postmasters.
In testimony, Staunton mentioned that one former postmaster described settling as humiliating due to the impersonality and alleged brutality demonstrated by the Post Office’s lawyers. This account highlighted the adversarial nature of the legal processes hindering fair compensation for victims.
Staunton also recalled challenging the view of Ben Foat, head of legal, who suggested that postmasters did not merit the same duty of care as employees. Staunton argued for a moral obligation to prioritise fair treatment for the postmasters given their wrongful persecution.
Further, Staunton revealed an incident where Foat initiated a probe into a postmaster’s activities in response to inaccuracies on the Horizon system—an act Staunton deemed ‘utterly unconscionable’ given the historical context of rigorous investigations into postmasters’ alleged shortfalls.
Despite renewed public scrutiny following an ITV drama, Staunton highlighted an ongoing inclination within the legal department to ‘over-investigate’ and defend prior convictions, a stance that spurred criticism from different corners.
The Post Office Inquiry continues to unravel the complex relationship between the organisation and its postmasters, with significant scrutiny of its legal practices.
