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Accusations have been made by Sir Alan Bates against the government, claiming that they have presented a compensation offer that falls short of his expectations. The former subpostmaster has been a vocal advocate for redress for victims impacted by the Post Office scandal, criticizing ministers for overseeing what he describes as “quasi-kangaroo courts” and changing the terms of their judgments. In an article published in the Sunday Times, Sir Alan expressed his frustration, stating that claims have been rejected due to legal technicalities or limitations within the scheme.
From 1999 to 2015, over 900 subpostmasters were incorrectly prosecuted as a result of discrepancies in the Horizon IT system used for Post Office branch accounts. Sir Alan led a group of 555 subpostmasters who participated in a significant legal action against the Post Office. The public became more aware of their plight following the airing of an ITV drama last year titled “Mr Bates vs The Post Office.” While the government established a compensation fund specifically for these subpostmasters, progress has been slow, leaving many still awaiting financial restitution.
The compensation scheme under the Group Litigation Order (GLO) offers claimants the choice between a fixed amount of £75,000 or negotiating their own settlement. Despite assurances that the schemes would be straightforward, Sir Alan found them to be lacking in substance. He has proposed the establishment of an independent entity to oversee compensation processes for this and similar public sector scandals. As of January, government data indicated that £128 million had been distributed through the GLO scheme, including interim payments. A spokesperson from the Department for Business and Trade commended postmasters affected by the scandal for their perseverance and noted that the government has increased the total amount disbursed to postmasters significantly since taking office. They assured that postmasters unhappy with their compensation offer could seek a review from an independent panel of experts
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