Compensation for Horizon victims welcome but there will be no justice without accountability - The Yorkshire Post says

Shadow business minister Chi Onwurah paid tribute to Conservative Business Minister Paul Scully for his work on compensation for those caught up in the Post Office Horizon scandal,

Ministers confirmed that they are to provide a £19.5m interim compensation package to the postmasters who played a crucial role exposing the Horizon scandal, a burning injustice that saw completely innocent pillars of the community dragged through the mud of court cases and accusations of theft.

The scandal came about from the late 1990s when the Post Office began installing deficient Horizon accounting software in post offices.

The software had faults that incorrectly led to shortfalls in branches’ accounts. The Post Office demanded sub-postmasters cover the shortfalls, and in many cases wrongfully prosecuted them between 1999 and 2015 for false accounting or theft.

The current UK Government has acted where its predecessors failed. A new scheme will ensure those entitled to compensation are duly compensated for the considerable turmoil.

While this payment is just an interim one, it will provide support while this scheme is finalised.

However there is now a wider issue that needs addressing.

The Horizon scandal ruined and, in some tragic cases, ended innocent people’s lives yet nobody has ever been properly held to account for this injustice.

Sir Wyn Williams has been appointed to conduct an inquiry into this process and Mr Scully has personally guaranteed that everything will be done to ensure those behind the scandal are duly punished for their role in the scandal.

Only then will justice have been done.