Corporate manslaughter charges are now being considered by police investigating the Post Office Horizon scandal.
The criminal investigation into the scandal, in which hundreds of postmasters were wrongfully convicted of theft and false accounting via the Horizon software, has also been expanded to include more “persons of interest” and an additional suspect.
A further person has also been interviewed under caution, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) said on Monday.
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None of the people in question have been named, but the NPCC previously said persons of interest include Post Office investigators, lawyers, and management across Fujitsu, who made the Horizon computer programme, and the Post Office. Material has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who conduct criminal prosecutions, about some of the suspects. This process will continue until the CPS “have sufficient material to allow them to make a final charging decision”, the NPCC said.
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A national team of officers, named Operation Olympos, has been looking at possible crimes related to the Horizon Post Office scandal and continues to focus on potential offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice.
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As part of this, the pool of persons of interest has expanded to 53, having been “about 45 people plus“.
After another person was interviewed under caution, it means five people have now been interviewed in this formal way, while the announced additional suspect brings the total number of suspects to eight.
No arrests have been made as police said it was “not necessary given the way we interview and use additional warrants where necessary to secure additional material”.
The latest announcement follows update sessions for victims of the scandal, described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history.
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Police appealed for victims who may have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the Post Office to come forward and speak to officers, as the NPCC said it has written confirmation that these NDAs will no longer be enforced.
This criminal investigation began during the public inquiry into the scandal.
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Millions of documents are being trawled through as part of the investigation, police have said.
