Sir Alan Bates questions UK government commitment to Post Office criminal investigation | Computer Weekly
Summary
Operation Olympos, the national criminal investigation into wrongdoing tied to the Post Office Horizon scandal, warns it needs to nearly double its investigator headcount and secure sustained funding to meet a target of submitting files to the CPS by early 2028. The Met says a recent Home Office grant of £2.8m helps but falls far short of a projected budget of up to £19.3m for 2026/27, and timelines could slip by up to five years without further support. The investigation has amassed some eight million documents and has interviewed 13 of 53 people of interest so far, while scrutiny of Fujitsu staff and evidence given in trials remains a key thread. Sir Alan Bates publicly questioned the government's commitment given the shortfall, and the article highlights continuing taxpayer costs tied to legal and PR work around the scandal. The piece underscores the risk that delays and underfunding will prolong injustice for victims and impede accountability for software-related failures.