Fujitsu refuses to say how much Post Office scandal compensation it will pay
Fujitsu has refused to say how much it will pay towards the company’s massive £1.8bn compensation bill for the Post Office scandal, which is now being funded by taxpayers.
A senior executive also admitted the company has so far set aside nothing to cover its contribution to those affected by what former chancellor Rishi Sunak described as “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history”.
Hundreds of sub-postmasters were sued for theft and fraudulent accounting due to Fujitsu’s faulty computer system; Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined.
Those who have had their convictions quashed may be entitled to compensation, but MPs on the Commons Business and Trade committee heard a sub-postmaster was mistakenly told they were not entitled.
Paul Patterson, director of Fujitsu Services Ltd, previously said: He admitted that the firm had “clearly let society down” and There were “bugs, errors and flaws” in the Horizon software that led to financial discrepancies that led to postmasters being wrongfully convicted “from the very beginning”.
He told MPs on Tuesday that the company was committed to contributing to the compensation scheme but said the amount would only be determined if the firm sees the results of the official investigation currently underway into the scandal.
“We will decide when we see the report,” he said.
But he was challenged by Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard, who told him: “This whole problem wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Fujitsu’s failures”.
He asked Fujitsu to send a message to its chairman and other executives, asking them to go before the committee and ask: “If they’re not paying the full £1.8bn, why not?” He asked him to explain.
Mr Patterson was also pressed by the committee’s chairman, Labor MP Liam Byrne, who said Fujitsu was still “collecting £1 million a day from British taxpayers” under various government contracts.
The committee also heard from a former deputy postmaster who was not convicted while her husband was convicted, even though they were both tried for the same offence.
Glenys Eaton told MPs she should take her case to judicial review.
He said they “needed to get a lawyer to fight our corner. We had to pay £5,000 for his services, but we knew we were right and the only way we could get justice was to fight.” He said he was told his conviction would be overturned “just a few weeks ago”, despite a law designed to overturn wrongful convictions resulting from the IT scandal coming into force in May 2024.
His lawyer David Enright, a partner at Howe & Co Solicitors, said the firm was fighting a “Titanic battle” on his behalf. But he warned: “I’m sure there are plenty of Miss Eatons out there.”
