In an unprecedented international intervention, the United States Congress has formally demanded answers from the British government regarding the devastating Post Office Horizon scandal that ruined hundreds of lives.
The powerful House Oversight Committee has launched a comprehensive investigation, sending detailed letters to both Post Office CEO Nick Read and UK Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch seeking crucial information about the long-running miscarriage of justice.
American Lawmakers Take Action
The congressional committee, known for holding powerful institutions accountable, is specifically examining whether Japanese technology giant Fujitsu - the company behind the flawed Horizon accounting software - deliberately misled British courts and government officials.
This marks the first time American authorities have directly介入 in a British domestic legal and political controversy, raising the international stakes significantly.
Seeking Transparency and Accountability
In their formal correspondence, the US lawmakers have requested detailed documentation including:
- Complete internal communications about Horizon system defects
- Records of meetings between Post Office executives and Fujitsu representatives
- Documents related to the prosecution of sub-postmasters
- Compensation details for victims
The committee has set a deadline of September 30th for responses, indicating they intend to pursue this matter with serious determination.
Growing International Repercussions
The congressional investigation represents a significant escalation in the global fallout from the scandal, which saw over 900 sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 based on faulty data from the Horizon system.
The involvement of US lawmakers adds substantial pressure on both the Post Office and UK government to accelerate compensation payments and ensure full accountability reaches the highest levels of both organizations.
This transatlantic scrutiny comes as public outrage continues to grow following the critically acclaimed ITV drama "Mr Bates vs The Post Office," which brought the human cost of the scandal to millions of viewers.
