Postmasters who signed gagging orders in Post Office scandal urged to come forward
Detectives investigating the post office scandal have called on more deputy postmasters to come forward after it emerged that signed non-disclosure agreements (also known as gagging orders) had been revoked.
Post office bosses told police that agreements preventing victims from speaking about their experiences were no longer enforceable.
Police say this means people wrongly accused of faulty systems can now reveal what happened to them without fear of repercussions.
They also raised the possibility that senior executives at the Post Office and Fujitsu, whose Horizon IT system was faulty, could face investigation.
Civil servants say they do not know how many deputy postmasters signed non-disclosure agreements, but it is estimated that 10,000 people may have been harmed by the scandal in which software mistakenly showed money missing from branch accounts.
It is thought that a significant number of them may have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDA).
Before the extent of the scandal was revealed, nearly 1,000 postmasters were sued and 236 people were sent to prison.
Commander Stephen Clayman, who is in charge of the Operation Olympus investigation, told a briefing on Tuesday that some victims may have been traumatized but it was important they spoke to police.
“We know there will be victims out there who have to suffer in silence, who are not allowed to speak, who feel like they can’t speak, who don’t get any support.
“It’s really important that we hear from them.
“Some people don’t want to interact. They’re probably fed up. They’re traumatized by it and may not want to talk. It’s really quite challenging.”
On Monday, it was revealed that eight people had been officially identified as suspects, and five of them were being interrogated under caution.
During the investigation, 53 more people were determined to be ‘persons of interest’.
Police did not disclose the names of the suspects.
But they said the next stage of the investigation would look at managers and senior decision-makers.
“Everyone is involved, from the investigators, to the managers, to the attorneys, to the boards of directors of both companies, everyone is in our purview, and we say we will go where the evidence takes us,” Mr. Clayman said.
Police said on Monday they were seeking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service on corporate and gross negligence manslaughter charges.
On Tuesday Mr Clayman and senior investigating officer Mick Norman also said they were seeking more money from the Home Office to continue the investigation.
Officers said the Home Office grant this year was £1.8m and the remainder of the £10m cost of the investigation came from the force, but they could no longer afford to do so.
Officials warned that without government cash, the operation could face delays.
They said they hope to make decisions on pricing in late 2027.
Police are under pressure to press charges but said they want the investigation to be accurate.
“We need to hold this as tight as we can for the sake of everyone, especially the victims,” Mr. Clayman said.
“A lot of people have been going through this for so long, so it’s a really difficult balance to achieve and we’re trying desperately to make sure the strategy remains intact as it is.”
According to many, he defended the slow pace of the investigation.
“The danger is that we cut corners and then you may run into problems, particularly around disclosure, which is a central aspect of what we investigate, so we have to make sure we don’t make mistakes in that area,” he said.
Sir Wyn Williams, the head of the public inquiry, announced that at least 59 people involved in the incident this year considered suicide, and that there was a “real possibility” that 13 people took their own lives as a result of their experiences.
