Horizon Post Office scandal victims in Scotland to be cleared, says Humza Yousaf

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Everyone in Scotland convicted as part of the Horizon Post Office scandal will be cleared, Humza Yousaf has said.The First Minister said he would work with Westminster to make sure that all victims across the UK are exonerated.It comes after Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he was introducing legislation to overturn convictions in England and Wales.

It is estimated that more than 700 people across the UK were wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office between 2000 and 2014 as a result of the faulty Horizon system installed by IT giant Fujitsu.

It is still to be decided if the Scottish victims will be cleared as part of the Westminster bill or if there will be a separate bill which goes through the Scottish Parliament.Yousaf told the BBC he was open to using a Legislative Consent Motion to allow Sunak's bill to apply in Scotland.He said it would be the "easiest and fastest solution" but insisted that other options were possible.He added that those impacted "can be absolutely assured" they will be pardoned.He said: "The Post Office absolutely have to be held to account.

It is important that we get the answers for those who have waited far too long for justice."In a letter to Sunak, he said: "Given the unique circumstances arising from the Post Office Horizon scandal, it is right that normal processes for appeals are set aside to ensure that justice can now be delivered for those whose lives were greatly impacted by their wrongful conviction."To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.