Post Office must reveal how much cash it ‘stole’ from subpostmasters, MPs told

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. So could the minister find out from the Post Office, force them to publish, just the grand scale of how much money they stole from people?” Business minister Kevin Hollinrake replied: “The money was taken, somebody must have noticed that money – you’d think the finance department would have noticed that money, you’d think auditors would have noticed that money.” He added: “I will endeavour to find out the number, I don’t have a number.” Mr Hollinrake earlier said evidence from the public inquiry into the Post Office scandal showed “not only incompetence but malevolence in many of their actions”. We didn’t see any way possible to do that without an exhaustive and time-consuming administrative process, which would add further burdens to the burdens people have already suffered during this process.” This is going to be messy whichever way we do it, but it needs to be done because we’ve still got people out there with those convictions that need overturning Labour former minister Kevan Jones Mr Hollinrake said the Government saw its approach as “very much as the lesser of two evils”, adding: “We are very keen to discuss mitigations and safeguards with other members of the House.” On Fujitsu, Mr Hollinrake said once the statutory inquiry has been reported the Government will be able to “assess more clearly who is actually responsible” before noting: “We think it’s right we follow a process, identify individuals or organisations who are responsible for this scandal. As regards individuals, it may well be there’s sufficient evidence for the authorities to take forward individual prosecutions and I think many in this House would welcome that.” Conservative former business minister Paul Scully said: “Too many victims want nothing to do with the British justice system, nothing to do with the Post Office, nothing to do with Government. The best we can aim for is one that is fast and the one that provides life-changing money to restore these people’s lives as best we can.” Labour former minister Kevan Jones, a long-term campaigner on the Horizon scandal, said: “This is going to be messy whichever way we do it, but it needs to be done because we’ve still got people out there with those convictions that need overturning.” Conservative former minister Mark Francois said the Government should review all of its contracts with Fujitsu and “should consider suspending” if the company “won’t do the right thing”.