'Criminal!' Fujitsu knew about 'bugs and errors in Post Office IT system used to hound innocent

AN MP yesterday insisted it was "criminal" that the IT firm at the heart of the Horizon scandal had known there were problems at an early stage and failed to act.

- Martyn Brown

Tory Marco Longhi said he was "staggered" sub-postmasters were prosecuted when the accounting software was known to be faulty.

It came as Fujitsu bosses said they were "truly sorry" and admitted the firm has a "moral obligation" to pay out compensation to the victims of the scandal.

Paul Patterson, the company's Europe director, said Fujitsu gave evidence to the Post Office that was used to prosecute innocent managers.

He added that the Post Office knew about "bugs and errors" in its Horizon accountancy software early on. More than 700 sub-postmasters received criminal convictions after the IT giant's faulty Horizon system made it appear as though money was missing from their branches.

Mr Longhi, MP for Dudley North, said: "I am staggered that Fujitsu knew early on that their software was faulty.

"They subsequently allowed innocent people to be wronged in the most awful way. It appears criminal to me.

"This further raises the issue of what ministers and the Director of Public Prosecutions knew and why, in the face of such numbers, they did not seek to scrutinise and challenge."

Takahito Tokita, the global chief executive of Fujitsu, has also apologised. He told the BBC in Davos, Switzerland: "This is a big issue, which Fujitsu takes very seriously." When asked if he would apologise, he added: "Yes, of course.