Liam Byrne, the Labour MP who chairs the business and trade committee, has urged the Japanese tech company Fujitsu to make an “immediate” interim payment towards the compensation bill for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal. The company supplied faulty software that led to wrongful prosecutions of branch operators, a scandal described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British history.
Byrne Calls for Urgent Action
Byrne stated that “justice delayed has become justice denied” for too many victims and called on the government to “do whatever” it takes to help them. He emphasized that years after the scandal was exposed, far too many people are still waiting for the redress they deserve. He urged the government to allocate whatever resources are needed to settle all outstanding Horizon shortfall claims by the end of this year, dismissing complexity as an excuse for delay.
Byrne also criticized Fujitsu for “sitting on the sidelines,” noting that it is extraordinary for a company at the heart of the greatest miscarriage of justice in British history to have failed to set out the scale or timetable for its contribution to compensation. He demanded an immediate interim payment, a commitment to a timetable for meeting its full liability, and help in bringing “this shameful chapter to a close.”
Fujitsu’s Ongoing Negotiations
Fujitsu is currently negotiating a settlement with the UK government but has not yet contributed to the £1.5bn compensation bill, which has been footed by UK taxpayers. The company admitted it had known since the 1990s that the Horizon system was faulty. 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, is administered by the Post Office and offers a fixed sum of £75,000 or the option to pursue a higher amount.
In March, the business and trade committee found that the scheme’s offers for redress were routinely overturned and increased after an appeal. Last year, the first part of the public inquiry by retired judge Sir Wyn Williams found that the Post Office and its advisers had often adopted an “unnecessarily adversarial attitude” towards those seeking financial redress. The second and final part of the report, expected to focus on the Horizon system’s flaws and the cultures of the Post Office and Fujitsu, has not yet been released.
Fujitsu’s Response and Government Statement
Fujitsu stated that it believes it is the right thing to contribute to compensation and that this will be agreed with the government after Sir Wyn publishes his inquiry findings. The company’s chair, Hidenori Furuta, resigned recently after the board became aware of his “woman-related inappropriate conduct.” A government spokesperson acknowledged progress in delivering redress but said there is more to do, noting that some claims are complex and take longer to resolve, and that they must avoid placing undue pressure on vulnerable claimants.
