Post Office considers court action revival

The Post Office is reconsidering its approach to recouping losses, which have surged to £12m annually, by potentially resuming court actions against branch owner-operators. This follows the Horizon IT scandal, where over 900 operators were wrongfully prosecuted due to faulty software. Alisdair Cameron, former finance director, testified that losses escalated from £2m to £12m a year. Although the Post Office’s chief executive, Nick Read, stated there are no current plans for court-led civil recovery, he acknowledged the growing liabilities and the need for a robust investigation into discrepancies. The inquiry revealed that discussions about returning to court action were held last year, with a focus on cases involving fraud. “We are building a team that know how to properly interrogate and investigate Horizon data,” Read noted.