The British Post Office fails to deliver justice

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ Column.

Michael Commane

In early January ITV aired a four-part series on the British Post Office scandal. 

In 1996 the British Post Office began working on a computer system to streamline the payment of social security benefits through its nationwide post office network. Fujitsu was commissioned to roll out the system, which was called Horizon.

 

In 1999 a number of sub postmasters/mistresses were accused of falsifying their accounts. Some were taken to court by the Post Office and did time in prison. More had their post offices closed down and their names destroyed. Many were bullied into signing guilty statements. But one brave sub postmaster, Alan Bates, who was wrongly accused of misappropriation of funds decided to challenge the Post Office. He was told that he was the only one who had a problem. He phoned colleagues and discovered the Post Office was not telling the truth.

The London Metropolitan Police is now investigating potential fraud offences committed during the Horizon IT scandal.

Alan Bates, played by Toby Jones in the ITV drama series, is an inspiring man, who has no intentions of allowing the behemoth Post Office to destroy him and his colleagues. He discovers over 500 sub postmasters/mistresses have been accused of stealing money from the Post Office. 

It is a horrific story of cruelty. Some have even taken their own lives. People have been bankrupted. People’s lives have been destroyed. The Post Office presumed the staff would never be able to afford the cost of going to court.

One of the ironies of the scandal is that the Chief Executive Officer of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019, was ordained a priest of the Church of England in 2006.

Since the ITV programme more postmasters/mistresses have come forward with their stories.

 

Now that the world has seen the behaviour of the British Post Office Fujitsu it’s easy to support Mr Bates and those who have been brutally treated. In every story there is a universal lesson to be learned.

What about those, who away from the public glare, are attempting to criticise the wrongdoing that is being done to them and their colleagues? Mr Bates should be a role model for all who are fighting for the cause of justice. The big company or organisation has the power and the resources to destroy the little person. A wise man said to me once, that the behemoths have a five-plan strategy against the little person, who they believe will get tired, frustrated, run out of money, become ill, die. It’s as nasty and as cruel as that. How can the little person ever afford to go to court?

Mr Bates gives hope to those who stand up for what is right.

It could have all been so different had the British Post Office sat down and spoken with their sub postmasters/mistresses. Surely they knew the history of their people, knew they were honest. But no, they knew better, or so they thought. How wrong they were.

All Alan Bates wanted was the truth, which he eventually got, though hard earned.