The court cleared the names of the post office workers in the UK

The British Court of Appeals cleared the names of 39 former post office workers in the United Kingdom (UK). Postmasters were charged after the post office installed the Horizon computer system at its branches. It turned out to be defective. Some ended up in prison, lost their homes, or went bankrupt. Others did not even get their name cleared, as they had died in the meantime. The Horizon computer system was developed by the Japanese company Fujitsu. It has been used in the UK Post Office since 1999. It has been used for a variety of tasks, including accounting and inventory. Sixty-two-year-old Vijay Parekh spent six months in prison. On the advice of his lawyer, he pleaded guilty, as he was accused of theft in the amount of approximately 78 thousand pounds. "The whole family suffered. I was in jail, but my 70-year-old father was outside. It affected everyone. It was impossible to sleep, I cried every day, "Parekh told The Guardian. Janet Skinner, who ran a post office in the town of Hull, stayed in prison for nine months due to a deficit of 59,000 pounds. According to her, this moment "destroyed absolutely everything." Like the others, she had no idea that other workers had been prosecuted or convicted at the time. Skinner had to leave her two children when she was imprisoned in 2007. Harjinder Butoy was convicted in 2008 of theft. He spent three years and four months in prison. He mentioned that those responsible for this scandal should be severely punished. "They're just bullies, that's all," he added. The judgment states that the post office that initiated the prosecution knew that there were problems with the Horizon computer system and its reliability. No one was ever criminally responsible for the scandal, and an investigation was launched at the behest of the government. The former head of the British State Post, who held the position between 2012 and 2019, said she was very sorry for the situation, fully supported the government's investigation and was willing to cooperate in the investigation. The UK Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating potential judicial errors, is examining a further 22 cases. More than 700 people were prosecuted in connection with the Horizont computer system. Both the Commission and the post office itself ask for registration from anyone who believes that their conviction may be a miscarriage of justice.