__The state-owned Post Office acted as investigator and prosecutor in the cases, using the general right in English law for any individuals and organisations to pursue private prosecutions without involving the CPS.
A public inquiry into the scandal has heard that the Post Office, among other aggressive legal tactics, accused sub-postmasters of theft to pressure them into pleading guilty to lesser charges.
The CPS has identified 11 cases it brought against sub-postmasters that involved “notable evidence” from the Horizon system.
Legal experts said the government had been warned several years ago that private prosecutions carried a higher risk because those pursuing them were more likely to have motivations other than securing justice.
Lord Ken Macdonald KC, a former director of public prosecutions, said: “If you’ve got a body with skin in the game [such as the Post Office] acting as a prosecutor, that creates obvious risks and dangers.”__