Shailesh Vara wants Horizon lawyers held to account

Mr Vara spoke in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon, and while recognising the ongoing enquiry being conducted, he asked the Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC MP, "what his department was doing to hold to account those lawyers who prosecuted sub-postmasters despite the evidence being to the contrary?”

In a robust reply, the Lord Chancellor said that “anybody who appears in court, but particularly prosecutors, must be mindful of their solemn and sacred duty to disclose material to the defence that might reasonably be considered capable of undermining the case for the prosecution” and added that this was “literally the most important rule.”

Rt Hon Shailesh Vara MP together with Lord Chancellor, Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP, along with other MPs. (Image: Shailesh Vara)

He went on to say that “if they failed in this case, [he] would expect the appropriate authorities to take robust and prompt action.”

Following the exchange, Mr Vara said: “The manner in which the sub-postmasters were treated is appalling and those responsible must be brought to account.

"I am grateful to the Lord Chancellor for his robust and very clear response to my question.

"There have clearly been failures in the legal process, as well as by some of the lawyers acting for the Post Office. Those failings need to be thoroughly investigated, and action taken where necessary.”

Hundreds of postmasters were wrongly prosecuted after the faulty Horizon software indicated money had gone missing from Post Office branch accounts.

It led to more than 900 sub-postmasters being wrongly prosecuted after they were accused of stealing. 

The Post Office took many cases to court, prosecuting 700 people between 1999 and 2015.

Another 283 cases were brought by other bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Many sub-postmasters went to prison for false accounting and theft, and others were financially ruined and suffered mental and health issues.