Latest news with #SeemaMisra
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
'Criminal' to OBE for wrongly jailed sub-postmistress
A former Surrey sub-postmistress wrongly jailed while eight weeks pregnant has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Seema Misra, who ran a post office in West Byfleet, is one of four leading campaigners to receive an OBE for their service to justice following the Post Office's Horizon IT scandal. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting based on faulty computer data. Named in the New Year's Honours list, Ms Misra has described the OBE as "empowering our fight for justice even further" and an acknowledgement of the "scale of the injustice" suffered. Ms Misra was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2010 after being accused of stealing £74,000. She garnered media attention because she gave birth while she was behind bars. Speaking to BBC Radio Surrey after receiving her OBE, Ms Misra said: "It's been a journey, from a criminal to an OBE, a difficult journey. I don't wish it on anybody. "The state realises the scandal did happened, we cannot put it under the carpet anymore. We are still fighting for full compensation for everybody, and most importantly accountability." Ms Misra said she was "so grateful" to collect the award and said it was "amazing" to get the recognition. The plight of Ms Misra and others was thrust into the limelight by the acclaimed 2024 ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. It showed how hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongfully pursued and convicted for stealing in what has been called the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history. The drama centred on the story of former sub-postmaster Alan Bates, played by actor Toby Jones, who led and won a legal battle, paving the way for dozens of convictions to be overturned. Sir Alan was knighted in June 2024. Speaking in December, Ms Misra said she hoped the recognition would "give more weight to the fight" to help her fellow scandal victims. "My aim is to be able to show this is still happening and to get proper, full and fair compensation for everybody, and most importantly, accountability," she added. "It's one of the main reasons I accepted it - to remind people that the scandal hasn't gone yet." Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Sub-postmistress appointed OBE in New Year Honours Postmistress jailed while pregnant rejects ex-Post Office boss' apology BBC Sounds: West Byfleet branded me a 'Pregnant Thief'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EY faces investigation over Post Office Horizon audit
Accounting giant EY is being investigated over its audits of the Post Office in relation to the Horizon scandal from March 2015 to March 2018. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the UK's accounting regulator, said it will check whether EY met its standards "with particular reference to matters related to the Horizon IT system". The software developed by Fujitsu was at the heart of the Post Office scandal that saw hundreds of postmasters wrongly convicted. EY said it takes its responsibilities "extremely seriously" and will be "fully cooperating" with the FRC. The Post Office declined to comment. The FRC said the recent public hearings carried out as a broader inquiry into the Horizon scandal did not cover EY's audits of the Post Office, so will not be covered by its investigation. One of the unanswered questions of the Post Office inquiry is where all the money wrongly taken from victims of the Horizon scandal actually went. The FRC wants to focus specifically on the role of statutory auditors - people legally required to review the financial statements of a company - in meeting the auditing standards of that time. The announcement comes as subpostmaster campaigners Lee Castleton, Seema Misra and Chris Head will be made OBEs at Windsor castle on Wednesday. More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for stealing because of incorrect information from the Horizon computer system. It has been called the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice. The Post Office itself took many cases to court, prosecuting 700 people between 1999 and 2015. Why were hundreds of Post Office workers wrongly prosecuted? Oldest Post Office scandal victim rejects higher payout as 'still not good enough'
