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Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Fujitsu has 'moral obligation' to pay Post Office victims

 A boss of Fujitsu has said the company has a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted as a result of its faulty IT software.

Paul Patterson, Fujitsu's Europe director, said the firm gave evidence to the Post Office which was used to prosecute innocent sub-postmasters.

He added the Post Office knew about "bugs and errors" in Horizon early on.

It comes as victims of the scandal told MPs of problems receiving compensation.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters and postmistresses were prosecuted for theft and false accounting after money appeared to be missing from their branches, but the prosecutions were based on evidence from faulty Horizon software.

Some sub-postmasters wrongfully went to prison, many were financially ruined. Some have since died.

It has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, but to date only 93 convictions have been overturned and thousands of people are still waiting for compensation settlements more than 20 years on.

Appearing before the Business and Trade select committee of MPs, Mr Patterson apologised for Fujitsu's role in what he said was an "appalling miscarriage of justice".

"We were involved from the very start," he said. "We did have bugs and errors in the system and we did help the Post Office in their prosecutions of the sub-postmasters.

"For that we are truly sorry."

Asked why Fujitsu didn't do anything about glitches in the Horizon system when the company knew about them at an early stage, Mr Patterson said: "I don't know. I really don't know."

He added: "On a personal level I wish I did know. Following my appointment in 2019 I have looked back on those situations for the company and the evidence I have seen and I just don't know."

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