Post Office and Fujitsu had deal 19 years ago to fix Horizon mistakes, document shows
The Post Office struck a secret deal with Fujitsu 19 years ago to correct errors in sub-postmasters’ accounts, a document has revealed.
The 2006 agreement suggests that both companies were aware of errors in the Horizon IT system and that Fujitsu was liable for a “pecuniary damage” penalty of £100-150 per erroneous transaction.
The document shows that the Post Office and Fujitsu had the authority to change the accounts, despite claims that it was not possible to do it remotely and that there were no errors in the system.
As a result of Horizon mistakenly showing omissions in accounts, nearly 1,000 people were wrongfully tried and convicted in the UK between 1999 and 2015.
This led to a significant number of sub-postmasters considering self-harm and some taking their own lives.
The long-running fight for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV aired drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal.
The 26-page contract, marked “confidential commercial”, was first revealed by Channel 4 News on Monday after being published on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s website.
“If the reconciliation service determines that the transaction data held in the ‘central database’ located in the data center is inconsistent when compared with the records of the transaction completed at the branch (e.g. receipt, transaction journal or branch accounting discrepancy), the reconciliation service will obtain authorization from the Post Office before altering the centrally held transaction data,” the agreement said.
Lee Castleton, who was wrongly accused of false accounting, told Channel 4 News: “It makes me feel physically ill. “You’ve literally got a bunch of people in two companies writing contracts for something they’ve repeatedly said was never necessary.
“And the distress and victimization that the group, our entire group, experienced is disgusting. They had this document, which they never disclosed.”
Mr Castleton said the release of the document would “absolutely” make a difference to his case.
He said: “That makes it a completely different question. We’re now talking about accounts that can be set up remotely, but also a contract in place for how that should be done.”
“As you know, 13 people potentially lost their lives due to the treatment applied by these companies.
“It’s disgusting to think that even now, twenty years later, we’re finding new documents, new documents that are specific to what’s going on. You know, it’s absolutely disgusting. It’s disgusting.”
Paul Marshall, senior solicitor for sub-postmasters, told the BBC that the document showed there was “a huge, known problem in maintaining Horizon’s data integrity” in 2006.
He said: “The Post Office has been saying for 20 years that the only explanation for deficiencies in branch accounts was incompetence or dishonesty on the part of the postmaster.
“However, preserving data integrity was fundamental to the Post Office-Fujitsu agreement; Fujitsu was unable to provide or guarantee this.”
A Post Office spokesman said: “We publicly apologize for the pain and suffering the Post Office has caused so many people during the Horizon IT Scandal.
“Today, our organization is focused on working transparently with the ongoing public inquiry, providing full and fair financial compensation to those affected, and establishing a meaningful restorative justice program – all important elements of the Post Office’s ongoing transformation.”
A Fujitsu spokesman said: “These matters are the subject of a criminal investigation being carried out by the Post Office Horizon IT Investigation and it is inappropriate for us to comment while this process is ongoing.”
