Post Office scandal culprits ‘may not face justice before 2028'
Those responsible for the Post Office Horizon scandal may not face justice until 2028, the police officer leading the investigation has warned.
Commander Stephen Clayman said it will take longer for criminal trials to begin as police widen the investigation beyond people 'involved in the immediate decision-making'.
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from Post Office accounts.
Hundreds of wrongly convicted sub-postmasters are still awaiting compensation despite the previous government saying that those who have had their convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts.
The scandal marked one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in British legal history.
It is understood that dozens of people have been classed as persons of interest in the investigation, with seven suspects identified.
However, Mr Clayman told the BBC: 'The teams need to be really meticulous and pay attention to detail.
'We are beginning to scope, looking at wider management. That will happen and is happening – it will just take time to get there.'
Victims 'desperate for accountability'
The investigation, known as Operation Olympos, has focused on perjury and perverting the court of justice during the wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters and the wider presentation of the Horizon IT system.
Police have described the inquiry as 'unprecedented' in size, with more than 3,000 potential victims and 1.5 million documents to be reviewed as evidence.
No decision about potential criminal charges will be made until the scandal's public inquiry has published its final report and investigators have 'thoroughly reviewed' its contents.
Tim Brentnall, a former sub-postmaster, said victims were 'desperate to see some kind of accountability', but supported the need for police to 'do it properly'.
A spokesman for the Post Office said: 'Post Office has co-operated fully and openly with the Metropolitan Police since early 2020 to provide whatever information it needs for its investigations.'
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