Paul Patterson gave evidence to parliament today (Photo by PRU / AFP)
The boss of IT giant Fujitsu apologised for the ‘appalling miscarriage of justice’ to sub-postmasters due to its dodgy Horizon computer – and promised compensation.
Paul Patterson said: ‘We were involved from the very start. We did have bugs and errors in the system and we did help the Post Office in their prosecutions of the sub-postmasters and, for that, we are truly sorry.’
Mr Patterson – the Japanese firm’s European director since 2019 – insisted the Post Office also knew about the glitches.
He told MPs he was appalled to watch bombshell ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office – which caused outrage this month –and to see evidence of hundreds of wrongful prosecutions it aided.
Insisting the firm was now different, he added it had a ‘moral obligation to contribute’ to redress for victims.
His comments were the first from Fujitsu about the scandal.
Last night, its global chief Takahito Tokita also apologised, insisting: ‘This is a big issue, which Fujitsu takes very seriously.’
But campaign leader Alan Bates told MPs many victims would die waiting for money from three compensation schemes already set up because they are ‘absolutely bogged down in red tape’.
Mr Bates, 69 – who lost his post office in 2002 after refusing to accept he was responsible for money Horizon wrongly said was missing – told the business and trade committee it took 53 days for three simple questions to be answered.
‘It’s gone on for far too long,’ he said, giving evidence via video from his home in North Wales.
‘People are suffering, they’re dying, we’re losing numbers along the way and it just seems to be tied up in bureaucracy.
‘This scheme started in March 2022, that’s 22 months ago and we still have very few cases that have come out the other end. It’s frustrating to put it mildly.’
After the TV drama, prime minister Rishi Sunak promised a fast-track legal process to exonerate those convicted with£600,000 compensation each, and £75,000 up front for some.
Mr Bates was played by Toby Jones in the drama about the sub-postmasters’ 25-year fight for justice. Of 736 fraud convictions from 2000 to 2014 only 93 have been overturned.
Some victims were jailed after being bullied into admitting crimes, many were financially ruined, at least four took their own lives and dozens died before their campaign group won a civil case in 2019.
Dr Neil Hudgell, the solicitor who helped the group, said only three of his wrongly convicted clients had received compensation, with routine responses taking three to four months.
Wrongfully convicted Jo Hamilton, 66 – played by Monica Donlan – said of the process: ‘It’s almost like you’re a criminal all over again, you’ve got to justify everything – forensic reports for this and forensic reports for that and you put it into the machine, and months later it comes back with a query. It’s almost like you’re being retried. It’s just nonsense.’
Of her conviction, she told MPs: ‘It just makes me so angry that they’d literally gas-lit me for about three years and turned me into a basket case. They convinced me that it was all my fault and I wasn’t tech savvy at all.’
Lord Arbuthnot, seen helping the group in the drama, told MPs: ‘It’s essential for these people living hand to mouth, some still bankrupt, that money is paid as soon as possible. I hope it’s weeks, not months. It mustn’t spill into next year.’
Post Office chief Nick Read, who succeeded disgraced Paula Vennells later in 2019, admitted the scandal may eventually cost it £1 billion. The Post Office is owned by the government, with taxpayers ultimately footing the bill.
‘We did have bugs and errors in the system and we did help the Post Office in their prosecutions of the sub-postmasters and, for that, we are truly sorry.’