Sub-postmasters wrongly convicted as a result of the faulty Horizon IT system will automatically be exonerated under proposed legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament (14 May).
Those whose convictions are quashed under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill will then be able to access the UK Government financial redress scheme.
The Bill’s passage through the Scottish Parliament will be speeded up to allow justice and redress to be delivered to victims as swiftly as possible in line with the UK Bill, which was not extended to cover sub-postmasters in Scotland.
The Westminster Government’s decision to exclude Scotland from its Bill drew flak from Justice Secretary Angela Constance: “The quickest, easiest route to overturn these miscarriages of justice would have been for the UK Government to extend their Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to cover sub-postmasters in Scotland.”
Constance said the Scottish Government’s repeated requests to do this were refused.
She added: “Our Bill, therefore, mirrors that of UK legislation to ensure parity for affected sub-postmasters in Scotland with those elsewhere in the UK and to ensure access to the UK Government’s compensation scheme.”
The introduction of the emergency Bill was an “unprecedented step,” Constance said, which was taken in light of the scale of the scandal and the length of time that victims have waited for justice.
The final stage of the Bill cannot be considered in the Scottish Parliament until after the UK legislation has been passed. This is to ensure MSPs can take account of any amendments made to the UK Bill.
