The Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the Post Office Horizon scandal, known as Operation Olympos, is expanding as more individuals are being scrutinized for their roles in the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of subpostmasters. This includes current and former Post Office staff, Fujitsu employees who supplied the faulty software, as well as lawyers and civil servants involved in the criminal trials.
The investigation is being led by Met Police commander Stephen Clayman, who has stated that the police will pursue the evidence wherever it leads. Currently, over 100 officers are working on the case, reviewing more than 1.5 million documents and having interviewed thousands of victims.
The scandal stems from the Horizon computer system, introduced by the Post Office in 1999, which caused unexplained accounting shortfalls that led to the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters for false accounting. Many victims lost their jobs, livelihoods, and faced financial ruin due to these mistakes, which the Post Office forced them to repay.
The investigation is in its early phase, focusing on perjury and perverting the course of justice, particularly investigating key individuals involved in the prosecutions. The second phase will explore broader criminal offenses, potentially involving fraud by the Post Office itself.
The investigation began in earnest after the Director of Public Prosecutions referred concerns about the Horizon system’s reliability to the police in 2020. High Court judge Peter Fraser’s ruling that the system caused the errors prompted the Met to assess evidence of perjury related to the testimonies given by Fujitsu staff during the trials.
Police not ruling any person or crime out of Post Office scandal investigation
The police subsequently opened a criminal investigation into two Fujitsu employees, Gareth Jenkins and Anne Chambers, who were involved in these trials. By 2023, the Met set up Operation Olympos to probe the scandal on a national level, spurred by the public’s outrage following ITV’s dramatization of the events.
The operation is also examining the Post Office’s policies, which required subpostmasters to repay shortfalls that did not exist, resulting in financial losses estimated at £36 million between 1999 and 2015. Furthermore, the investigation may extend to a senior Post Office employee, currently suspended, who allegedly advised staff to conceal evidence related to the inquiry.
The police are also looking into the potential involvement of one of their own employees, Graham Ward, who allegedly altered a witness statement during the prosecution of subpostmaster Noel Thomas, one of the many wrongfully convicted individuals. Thomas’s conviction for false accounting was overturned in 2021.
Operation Olympos is actively seeking more victims of the scandal, many of whom may still be unidentified. Clayman has acknowledged that the full scope of the harm caused is still being uncovered and emphasized that securing justice for the victims is the priority.
The investigation is expected to take time, and the police are encouraging the public to submit any relevant information or documents through their Major Investigation Public Portal. The final decisions on charges will await the completion of the Post Office Horizon public inquiry, which is expected to shed more light on the systemic failures and the individuals responsible for the scandal.
