Key facts
- A UK parliamentary committee has urged Fujitsu to make an immediate payment towards compensation for Post Office Horizon victims.
- Fujitsu supplied the faulty Horizon software that led to wrongful prosecutions of branch operators.
- The scandal is described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British history.
- Liam Byrne, chair of the business and trade committee, called for all outstanding claims to be settled by the end of the year.
- Fujitsu is negotiating a settlement with the UK government and has not yet contributed to the £1.5bn compensation bill.
- The company stated it will contribute to compensation after the inquiry findings are published.
Members of the UK Parliament are pressing Fujitsu, the technology firm at the heart of the Post Office IT scandal, to make an immediate contribution to the compensation fund for victims. The faulty Horizon software supplied by Fujitsu led to thousands of Post Office branch operators being wrongly prosecuted for financial discrepancies.
Liam Byrne, the Labour MP chairing the business and trade committee, described the situation as "justice delayed has become justice denied" and urged the government to expedite all outstanding claims by the end of the year. He criticized Fujitsu for "sitting on the sidelines" and failing to outline its contribution to the compensation bill, which has so far been borne by UK taxpayers.
Fujitsu has admitted knowing about the Horizon system's flaws since the 1990s. The company is currently in negotiations with the UK government regarding a settlement. There are three redress schemes for victims: the Horizon shortfall scheme (HSS), the group litigation order, and the Horizon convictions redress scheme. The HSS, the largest, offers a fixed sum of £75,000 or the option to pursue a higher amount.
Recent findings from the public inquiry, led by Sir Wyn Williams, indicated that the Post Office and its advisers had adopted an "unnecessarily adversarial attitude" towards claimants. The second part of the inquiry's report is expected to focus on the Horizon system's flaws and the cultures of both the Post Office and Fujitsu.
Fujitsu stated that it believes contributing to compensation is the right course of action and that this will be agreed upon with the government after the inquiry's findings are released. A government spokesperson acknowledged the progress made in delivering redress but stressed that more work is needed, particularly for complex cases involving vulnerable claimants, and pledged to process these cases as quickly as possible.