Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill

# Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill responds to one of the UK's most significant miscarriages of justice, involving hundreds of Scottish sub-postmasters who were wrongly convicted of theft and fraud between the 1990s and 2010s. These convictions were based on evidence from the Post Office's Horizon computer system, which contained serious defects that created false discrepancies in branch accounts. Many innocent people suffered devastating consequences, including criminal records, financial ruin, and imprisonment, while the Post Office maintained the system's reliability despite growing evidence of its failures. The legislation addresses the need for justice and redress specific to the Scottish legal system and its affected victims. The bill enables the Scottish courts to overturn convictions related to Horizon system offences without requiring the Post Office's consent, and establishes a mechanism for declaring convictions as miscarriages of justice. It also introduces provisions for compensation and support to victims, recognising both their wrongful convictions and the broader injustice. The measure complements UK-wide remedial action, including the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, but tailors relief to Scotland's distinct legal framework. As a Government bill introduced to redress this historical injustice, it represents a formal acknowledgement by the Scottish Parliament that the legal system must provide remedies to those who were failed by flawed evidence and institutional failures.

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