Post Office and Fujitsu chiefs ‘maintained fiction’ on faulty Horizon system
Post Office and Fujitsu managers were aware the Horizon IT system was flawed and “maintained a fiction” that the accounting data it produced was accurate.
In his report on the first part of an inquiry into the Post Office scandal, chair Sir Wyn Williams said dozens of postmaster victims of “wholly unacceptable behaviour” by business chiefs suffered from serious mental health problems, addiction and suicide in 13 cases.
Williams, a retired Welsh judge, found that, in the decade during which several postmasters were convicted of theft by taking cash from their own tills, approximately 1,000 workers were prosecuted, with just 50 to 60 postmasters not getting convicted while thousands were wrongfully suspended or had their contracts terminated.
Employees at the Japanese tech giant knew the system was “afflicted by bugs, errors and defects” while officials at the Post Office “should have known” the Horizon system was faulty.
The delivery of postmasters’ redress claims have also been “bedevilled with unjustifiable delays”, the report also said.
A Post Office spokesman said: “The inquiry has brought to life the devastating stories of those impacted by the Horizon scandal. Their experiences represent a shameful period in our history.
“Today, we apologise unreservedly for the suffering which the Post Office caused to postmasters and their loved ones. We will carefully consider the report and its recommendations.”
Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said the recommendations provided in the report were “immensely helpful as a guide for what is needed to finish the job”, with a statement in parliament to follow.
Post Office compensations inadequate
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “The publication of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s report today by Sir Wyn and his team marks an important milestone for subpostmasters and their families.
“I welcome the publication today and am committed to ensuring wronged subpostmasters are given full, fair, and prompt redress.
The offences largely occurred in the 2000s, with the large-scale miscarriage of justice leading some 236 individuals to end up in prison.
A group of more than 500 sub-postmasters brought a case against the Post Office in 2017, with the company agreeing to pay them £58m in compensation despite most funds going towards legal fees.
The scandal came into public consciousness last year after the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office was watched by more than 10m people in the first week of January.
A public inquiry began in 2022, with the first part of the report getting published on Tuesday.
As of 2 June, more than £1bn in compensation schemes has been awarded to sub-postmasters.
The government has put £2bn aside for funding compensations in the coming months.
Williams said the report had to be released due to issues victims had faced in receiving compensation.