The Post Office (PO) has said it will not oppose 44 conviction appeals related to glitches in its Horizon accounting system.

The decision not to contest 44 out of 47 appeals being sent to the Court of Appeal marks a victory for affected subpostmasters, as it means their convictions will likely be quashed.

Glitches in the PO’s Horizon accounting system spanning two decades had led to shortfalls in hundreds of subpostmasters accounts. False accusations of fraud by the PO had left subpostmasters bankrupt or prison sentences.

Commenting on the decision not to oppose the appeals, PO chairman Tim Parker said: “I am sincerely sorry on behalf of the PO for historical failings which seriously affected some postmasters. PO is resetting its relationship with postmasters with reforms that prevent such past events ever happening again.”

PO chief executive Nick Read added: “We are forging a new relationship with postmasters helping them to build thriving PO businesses for customers and communities throughout the UK. The difficult lessons of the past are being learnt, and we are making fundamental changes to our culture, practices and operating procedures.”