[News] Post Office Scandal -

[Weststander]

OK apologies but can I ask a silly question. Now if we accept that at the top end of the Post Office and/or Fujitsu there was corruption and a cover up to disguise the known issues with Horizon. However, did none of the Post Office investigators talk to each other and ask " bit odd that such a huge number of postmasters have gone rogue "?

That cropped up in the enquiry. In that; one of the investigators said to another, strange all these newspaper stories of alleged injustices, do you think the PO/Fujitsu are wrong?

But the PO/Fujitsu effectively passed down the firm message that Horizon was catching fraudsters, who would’ve got away with in previous times.

 

[Eric the meek]

There were some where if the link went down when the processing was happening (not uncommon), then when it came up again, the operator would have to press continue/complete or something. It would then take the (single) payment from the customer (say £250), and the (single) credit to the PO (£250). BUT - because of the bug, it had already credited the PO £250 when the system went down, but hadn't debited the customer because it hadn't finished the actions required to do so.

So - one payment of £250, but credited to PO twice. And so at the end of the day, it would look as though the PO was 'short' by £250.

That sounds entirely believable. Transactions not being rolled back correctly in the event of a failure. From memory, in the 90s and 2000s, hierarchical databases like IMS (not the same solution as the Fujitsu/Horizon system), had a proprietary function action called checkpoint/restart and rollback/recovery, which essentially took checkpoints at regular intervals through a transaction, and in the event of a failure, rolled back the credits and debits to the last checkpoint. It sounds like the Horizon system didn't have such a robust recovery procedure. Just my guess.

 

[raymondo]

According to our village PO, there are still discrepancies most days now. They always call the helpline which nowadays is jolly friendly and helpful - they are always told not to worry about it and they never sign off on it.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

OK apologies but can I ask a silly question. Now if we accept that at the top end of the Post Office and/or Fujitsu there was corruption and a cover up to disguise the known issues with Horizon. However, did none of the Post Office investigators talk to each other and ask " bit odd that such a huge number of postmasters have gone rogue "?

Reading between the lines, I'll give you an example. There is a "Thai massage Parlour" at the bottom of my road. I've never seen anyone go in or out of it and I've have long odds on favourite that it's real purpose is a money laundering operation of some sort. If not, it's a brass house and there is an entrance round the back

I guess if the paper accounts of a large organisation said there was X million coming in but Y million going out you'd make the assumption that you'd nailed with digitalisation - wrongly - where that money was leaking from. The solution is rarely that simple. In the process, I'd imagine they've washed the baby out with the bathwater as my mum would say.

 

[raymondo]

Seems derisory to me...barely covers 20 years loss of earnings, let alone unfair dismissal, accusations, compensation for stress over two decades. Shocking, but unsurprising sadly.

Post Office Horizon scandal: Alan Bates rejects ‘cruel’ compensation offer

Former post office operator who inspired Mr Bates vs the Post Office says figure is about a sixth of what he requested

www.theguardian.com

 

[The Clamp]

Seems derisory to me...barely covers 20 years loss of earnings, let alone unfair dismissal, accusations, compensation for stress over two decades. Shocking, but unsurprising sadly.

Post Office Horizon scandal: Alan Bates rejects ‘cruel’ compensation offer

Former post office operator who inspired Mr Bates vs the Post Office says figure is about a sixth of what he requested

www.theguardian.com

What was the offer? Can’t find the figure in the article.

 

[raymondo]

What was the offer? Can’t find the figure in the article.

Actually, that's a good question!!! At first I assumed it was the 600k mentioned in the final para...but that is for those whose wrongful conviction was overturned...so it doesn't say what Bates was offered. I expect it will surface in a news outlet today.

 

[Seagull58]

Mutualisation of the PO, so that it is owned by the subpostmasters, was proposed by the government in 2012.
Seems like an excellent idea (but lock up Vennels and the Hitachi crooks first).

Government to discuss handing ownership of Post Office to its operators

Post office operators’ union calls meeting after miscarriage of justice that saw more than 700 branch managers prosecuted

www.theguardian.com

 

[Seagull58]

Deliberate sabotage and obstruction of justice?

Ex-Post Office boss ‘gave Fujitsu bonus contract despite warnings’

Exclusive: Whistleblowers say Paula Vennells agreed to move archive, which risked destroying data that could clear operators

www.theguardian.com

 

[Seagull58]

damn, wrong link

 

[Pevenseagull]

...hang on


The powers that be have been stalling paying out on innocent people whose lives have been ruined in case someone who was a f***ing criminal got away with some money?


Erm




****s

 

[The Clamp]

Sorry but f***ing ****s

Post Office said last month it stands by most Horizon convictions

Letter shows Post Office told ministers it would oppose attempts to overturn 369 prosecutions

www.theguardian.com

 

[Pevenseagull]

Sorry but f***ing ****s

Post Office said last month it stands by most Horizon convictions

Letter shows Post Office told ministers it would oppose attempts to overturn 369 prosecutions

www.theguardian.com

Dave in Belper didn't record the stamp that got torn or mislaid.


CLOSE THE SYSTEM DOWN. LOCK THEM ALL UP.

 

[raymondo]

Sorry but f***ing ****s

Post Office said last month it stands by most Horizon convictions

Letter shows Post Office told ministers it would oppose attempts to overturn 369 prosecutions

www.theguardian.com

Isn't it great that as the main parties involved continue to argue, obfuscate and delay....postmasters get older, unwell and will at some point die. Shocking stuff .

 

[The Clamp]

Isn't it great that as the main parties involved continue to argue, obfuscate and delay....postmasters get older, unwell and will at some point die. Shocking stuff .

And I imagine that’s the hope.

 

[portlock seagull]

Isn't it great that as the main parties involved continue to argue, obfuscate and delay....postmasters get older, unwell and will at some point die. Shocking stuff .

Tried and tested. Has ever been thus.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Jesus f***ing Christ


This shit

 

[Pevenseagull]

What was the offer? Can’t find the figure in the article.

I have heard under £200k for someone whose entire life was ruined.

Ruined forever and blighted though being ostricised by their community and f***ing family.

 

[clapham_gull]

On the balance of probability, just as in any sector, some people at some point have stolen money whilst running a Post Office.

What the Post Office simply fails to understand is their investigations (and we've all watched the testimony) are so utterly dysfunctional their view on who is guilty or not is worth nothing. Jack shit, f*** all, less than the price of second hand stamp.

If someone ends up "getting away with", that's as much now on them as the incorrect convictions.

Tossers.

 

[Weststander]

Vennells stripped of her CBE.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68384240