"Sir Alan Bates has agreed a multimillion-pound settlement with the government more than two decades after he began the campaign for justice for post office operators over the Horizon IT scandal. Bates has previously accused the government of presiding over a quasi-kangaroo court system for compensation, and last year said that post office operators may return to court over delays with settling claims. The 70-year-old was knighted last year and was portrayed by the actor Toby Jones in the hit ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which thrust the plight of post office operators into the national spotlight."
"Bates revealed in May that he had been handed a take it or leave it compensation offer of less than half his original claim. Bates, who led the campaign that ultimately turned into what has been called Britain's biggest miscarriage of justice, said the final offer amounted to 49.2% of his original claim. Sky News has reported that his original claim could have been in the region of 10m, indicating a final settlement with the government of between 4m and 5m. We can confirm that Sir Alan's claim has reached the end of the scheme process and been settled, a government spokesperson said. We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims and have now paid out over 1.2bn to more than 9,000 victims. Lawyers representing Bates have been contacted for comment. More than 900 post office operators were convicted of offences including fraud, false accounting and theft between 1999 and 2015 after the faulty Horizon IT system falsely showed that money was missing in branch accounts. The convictions were overturned by an unprecedented act of parliament last year. Earlier this year, Bates accused the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), which took over administration of the compensation schemes from the Post Office, of reneging on assurances given when they were set up."
Sir Alan Bates reached a multimillion-pound settlement with the government over the Horizon IT scandal after more than 20 years campaigning for post office operators. He revealed he had been offered less than half his original claim and said the final offer amounted to 49.2% of his original claim. Reports indicate his original claim was around £10m, suggesting a settlement between £4m and £5m. The government confirmed the claim has been settled and stated that over £1.2bn has been paid to more than 9,000 victims. More than 900 operators were wrongly convicted between 1999 and 2015; those convictions were overturned by an act of parliament. Bates accused the Department for Business and Trade of reneging on assurances regarding the compensation scheme.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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