Fujitsu boss apologizes to victims of shared mail scandal

Hundreds of British Post Office employees were wrongly accused of theft, many were financially devastated by huge compensation claims, many were jailed and many took their own lives.

The allegations came after company computers falsely showed large sums of money allegedly missing from offices between 1999 and 2015. But the real culprit in the drama was the failed Horizon computer system developed by Fujitsu and introduced post in the late 90s.

Fujitsu is said to be aware of the bugs and errors, and now the company's European manager, Paul Patterson, is apologizing to the hundreds of innocent victims. Appearing before members of parliament on Tuesday, he said the company has a moral responsibility to provide financial compensation to victims. Guardian.

– To the postal workers and their families, Fujitsu would like to apologize for our role in this terrible miscarriage of justice. We were involved from the beginning. There were bugs and errors in the system. And we helped the post office sue the employees. “We're really sorry about that,” Paul Patterson said stable.

TV serials gave new life

The company Post Office said for years that the data was correct, but after a long struggle, many of the accused re-litigated their case. By early 2021, 39 convictions had been overturned by the High Court.

A judge said the Post Office knew there were “serious problems” with the reliability of the computer system and that there were serious flaws in their own investigation into the events.

The scandal has gained new relevance with a popular TV series that aired in the New Year. Guardian This led to another 50 potential victims contacting police and prosecutors.

A total of 93 employees have been released, but many are still waiting to be released. Only 30 people have been fully compensated.

The Prime Minister has promised to provide relief

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently promised relief for wrongfully accused postal workers in Britain.

During Question Time in Parliament, the new law will ensure the speedy release and compensation of those found guilty.

He added that approximately 550 postal workers who joined a class action should be paid an advance of around 75,000 pounds, equivalent to around one million kroner. BBC.

It was frozen

Now the police have started an investigation against the postal department as well. Suspicions have arisen that the amount of compensation received by the company may be classified as fraudulent. So far no arrests have been made or any suspicious service rendered.

One of the accused employees testifies that he and his family were ostracized in the small community in northern England and that his daughter was bullied at school because the father was said to be a thief. He and other victims are now demanding that the culprits be brought to light:

– It's about accountability. Let's find out who made the decisions and did this, says the man.