Fujitsu’s finance chief apologises to victims of Post Office IT scandal
Bosses at Fujitsu have apologised to the wrongfully convicted Post Office workers and their families involved in the Horizon IT scandal and said it would work out the amount of compensation when the direction of the public inquiry became clear.
Earlier this month, executives at Fujitsu told MPs it would contribute to compensation payments to post office operators who were wrongfully convicted after failures in the Horizon IT software made by the Japanese tech firm made it look like money was missing from their shops.
Paul Patterson, Fujitsu’s boss for Europe, told MPs the company had a “moral obligation” to pay compensation but did not specify how much should be set aside to pay out. The UK business minister, Kemi Badenoch, wrote to the company to demand talks on how much it would pay.
Takeshi Isobe, the chief financial officer, said on Wednesday as the company reported its latest financial results: “On behalf of the Fujitsu Group, I would like to convey our deepest apologies to the subpostmasters and their families, and reiterate that we regard this matter with the utmost seriousness.
“As the direction of the inquiry becomes clear we want to work on appropriate compensation. We take this matter very seriously. We want the facts to become clear from the statutory inquiry.”
An inquiry into the scandal, which is being chaired by the retired high court judge Sir Wyn Williams, began last year and has gained greater public attention since the hit ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office was broadcast this month. The inquiry continues on Wednesday.
Fujitsu will not bid for government contracts while the inquiry is ongoing, ministers have said.
Isobe said: “Our company’s UK subsidiary has been cooperating fully with the ongoing UK statutory inquiry, which has been investigating complex events that have unfolded over many years, and going forward we remain fully committed to offering our complete support and cooperation.
“I would also like to emphasise that our global board of directors is maintaining strict supervision over the matter, including the handling of the ongoing inquiry. It is our sincere hope that the inquiry allows for a swift resolution that ensures a just outcome for the victims.”