Also, as well as in practice exercising control over the Post Office as its owners, the Government is responsible for the Crown Prosecutors, the people who usua

Also, as well as in practice exercising control over the Post Office as its owners, the Government is responsible for the Crown Prosecutors, the people who usually carry out criminal prosecutions. For a long time now Crown Prosecutors have been able to seize any existing criminal cases (prosecuted by somebody else) in order to terminate it. They could have stepped in, taken over the case, said "This seems like bullshit" and terminated the prosecution. That's still awful for the postmasters, who have faced a threat of prosecution, but it means none of them would go to jail. Governments of the day did not do this either.