Another major law firm has been drawn in to national media coverage of the Post Office scandal, as previously undisclosed minutes emerged of a meeting from 2014.
The BBC reported today that magic circle firm advised a Post Office board sub-committee codenamed Project Sparrow in talks about the stance on future claims.
According to the BBC, the group had been convened as questions about the reliability of the Horizon computer system mounted, and discussions began to take place about possible compensation to sub-postmasters who may have been affected.
The minutes, released in heavily redacted form in 2021 but now seen in full, show that the Post Office planned a total of £1m in ‘token payments’ to victims.
It is reported that the meeting heard advice from Linklaters lawyers that the Post Office had only ‘very limited liability in relation to financial redress’.
There is no suggestion that the firm or its lawyers were involved in any attempts to cover up or supress information about Horizon. But the estimate about limited liability and £1m costs proved to be wide of the mark: the Post Office is expected to pay compensation to at least 700 sub-postmasters, with the final bill expected to reach at least £1bn.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Linklaters said: 'The Post Office set up a 'mediation scheme' in 2013, prior to our involvement. In early 2014, Linklaters were asked to provide some high-level advice to the Post Office in the context of the mediation scheme, which had around 150 applicants. That advice did not focus on the merits of individual claims. Our involvement ceased in August 2014.'
