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Sir Alan Bates says "all the baddies seem to be hiding" after settling his claim from the Horizon scandal for a "seven-figure" sum. The ex-subpostmaster has labelled the redress schemes for victims of the Post Office computer system as "quasi-kangaroo courts". An estimated 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted from 1999 to 2015 as a result of Horizon , causing untold mental anguish for the Post Office victims . Sir Alan, 70, told the Mirror : "We have always said that those responsible for what happened need to be held accountable. It has not turned out that way as yet but the inquiry into Horizon has yet to give its final report. "There is also the Met Police investigation which has more than 100 officers working on it across the country. It is complex, multi-layered involving different Government departments as well as individuals in the Post Office. "There is also all the evidence submitted to the inquiry which needs to be analysed before police carry out their own inquiries. The cover up was as bad as what happened in the first instance. There are plenty of questions which need to be asked and properly answered in the police investigation." Sir Alan has received his final settlement; now he wants criminal convictions against those found guilty of wrongdoing. But he admitted: "I don't think we'll get that justice for a long time yet. All the baddies seem to be hiding." The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office . Sir Alan had already turned down two counter-offers to his claim from the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) before settling. It was reported to be for around £4m-£5m, but the settlement figure has not been confirmed. Sir Alan said the final offer "was take it or leave it." There are around 100 subpostmasters yet to settle their claims. He added: "I have to remind them, listen to your legal team and keep challenging it, but it's not an endless process. Ultimately it is an ex gratia scheme, they don't legally have to give you anything." He revealed he will be moving to a new house in Wales after receiving his payment and plans to write his memoirs. "I need to put down on record what really did happen and how we managed to move the whole thing forward," he said. In a statement confirming his claim had been settled earlier this month, DBT said: "We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims and have now paid out over £1.2 billion to more than 9,000 victims. "We can confirm that Sir Alan's claim has reached the end of the scheme process and has been settled."
