The Metropolitan police commander in charge of the criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal has warned that victims could face a five-year delay unless millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more investigators are provided.
Commander Stephen Clayman said he needs to almost double the number of investigators from 111 to 210 to meet a deadline of late 2027 or early 2028 for submitting files to prosecutors. The Home Office recently granted £2.8m, but the projected budget is up to £19.3m, leaving a £16.5m shortfall.
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 due to faulty Horizon accounting software from Fujitsu. The scandal has been called the worst miscarriage of justice in British history. The police investigation, Operation Olympos, is examining potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice.
Clayman said detectives already hold 8m documents, a number set to grow. “Only by doing this can we piece together exactly what happened, establish who knew what and understand the role suspects may have played,” he said. Thirteen of 53 people under investigation have been questioned under caution.
“Without this, we risk our timelines being pushed back by as much as five years, which we know is unacceptable for those who have already been living with this for decades,” Clayman added. The team was bolstered to more than 100 in 2024, up from 80 initially.
About 3,500 branch owner-operators were wrongly accused of fraud. Across all redress schemes, more than 11,500 claimants have been paid a total of £1.48bn so far. Clayman said the priority is to “deliver justice” for victims and families.
