Company manslaughter expenses are actually being thought of by police investigating the Put up Workplace Horizon scandal.
The felony investigation into the scandal, through which a whole bunch of postmasters had been wrongfully convicted of theft and false accounting through the Horizon software program, has additionally been expanded to incorporate extra “persons of interest” and a further suspect.
An additional individual has additionally been interviewed below warning, the Nationwide Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) mentioned on Monday.
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Not one of the individuals in query have been named, however the NPCC beforehand mentioned individuals of curiosity embrace Put up Workplace investigators, legal professionals, and administration throughout Fujitsu, who made the Horizon laptop programme, and the Put up Workplace. Materials has been handed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who conduct felony prosecutions, about among the suspects. This course of will proceed till the CPS “have sufficient material to allow them to make a final charging decision”, the NPCC mentioned.
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A nationwide crew of officers, named Operation Olympos, has been taking a look at potential crimes associated to the Horizon Put up Workplace scandal and continues to concentrate on potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice.
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As a part of this, the pool of individuals of curiosity has expanded to 53, having been “about 45 individuals plus“.
After one other individual was interviewed below warning, it means 5 individuals have now been interviewed on this formal method, whereas the introduced further suspect brings the full variety of suspects to eight.
No arrests have been made as police mentioned it was “not necessary given the way we interview and use additional warrants where necessary to secure additional material”.
The newest announcement follows replace periods for victims of the scandal, described as essentially the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British historical past.
Police appealed for victims who could have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the Put up Workplace to come back ahead and converse to officers, because the NPCC mentioned it has written affirmation that these NDAs will now not be enforced.
This felony investigation started throughout the public inquiry into the scandal.
Hundreds of thousands of paperwork are being trawled by means of as a part of the investigation, police have mentioned.
