Post Office stripped of ability to investigate crimes in Scotland after Horizon scandal

The Post Office has been stripped of its ability to investigate and report crimes in Scotland after the Horizon scandal.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain said the Post Office would no longer be a specialist reporting agency "because of its fundamental and sustained failures in connection with Horizon cases in Scotland".

The crimes will now be investigated by Police Scotland.

An estimated 100 Post Office workers in Scotland were wrongly prosecuted after they were blamed for shortfalls in their accounts caused by a faulty IT system.

Prosecutions were the responsibility of the Crown Office in Scotland, but the information leading to convictions was provided by the Post Office.

It comes after the Scottish Government announced earlier this week that it will rush through emergency legislation to exonerate convicted subpostmasters.

Bain told MSPs in Holyrood on Thursday afternoon: "I can confirm that because of its fundamental and sustained failures in connection with Horizon cases in Scotland, I have decided that Post Office Limited is not fit to be a specialist reporting agency.

"It is therefore no longer able to investigate and report criminal allegations directly to the Crown.

"It should now instead report any allegations of criminality to Police Scotland for them to investigate."

She added: "I can also advise that work is ongoing to strengthen the guidance the safeguards that exist to ensure that all Scotland specialist reporting agencies abide by the essential duties of disclosure and candour in the court of cases for prosecution."

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