Fujitsu are “kicking the can down the road” on compensation for its role in the Post Office scandal, a leading campaigner has told Parliament.
Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, who played a pivotal role in exposing the outrage, accused the Japanese tech giant of holding out with a view to reducing the amount it would ultimately have to pay.
He argued the only way to change the under-fire company’s attitude would be for the Government to stop awarding it contracts.
Despite its involvement in the Post Office debacle, the firm has continued to secure multimillion-pound deals with Whitehall, bankrolled by the taxpayer.
Fujitsu has already acknowledged it has a “moral obligation” to contribute to compensation, pending the outcome of the public inquiry led by Sir Wyn Williams.
The firm has come under renewed pressure after the publication of the first part of Sir Wyn’s final report.
It found around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted after Fujitsu’s defective Horizon accounting system made it appear that money was missing at their Post Office branches.
Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined, others were shunned by their communities, and some took their own lives.
The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal.
Sir Wyn said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history.
Speaking in Parliament, Lord Arbuthnot said: “This matter has taken place over many years, under Labour ministers, Lib Dem ministers, Conservative ministers,
“We should all, frankly, hang our heads in shame.”
He added: “I went along to The Oval last week to listen to Sir Wyn give his excellent report, and he used a telling phrase about Fujitsu, namely that they were kicking the can down the road.
“That’s exactly what they are doing.
“The longer they think they can stave off paying a single penny towards the victims of this matter, the less they think they will have to pay.
“Does the Government recognise that the only way we can change that behaviour is to stop giving them contracts?”
Responding, business minister Baroness Jones of Whitchurch said: “I must pay absolute tribute to him for all of his involvement in this running scandal over many years, and for helping to bring the scandal to light.”
She said the Government was in “active dialogue” with Fujitsu on the issue of compensation.
The company has said it will not bid for contracts “with new Government customers” until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes.
However, this still leaves it open to tender for work with existing Whitehall clients or “where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities”.
Latest figures show a further 12 new deals had been struck with the company over the last year, in addition to extensions of existing contracts.
The Government has said the majority are for services already provided by Fujitsu and were put in place to ensure continuity of services.
Lady Jones told peers: “The extent of Fujitsu’s role on the scandal is not fully known, and therefore we feel it would be inappropriate for the Government to take further action until we have all parts of the inquiry before us.”
A Fujitsu spokesperson said: “We have apologised for, and deeply regret, our role in subpostmasters’ suffering. We hope for a swift resolution that ensures a just outcome for the victims.
“We are considering the recommendations set out by Sir Wyn in volume one of the inquiry’s report, and are engaged with Government regarding Fujitsu’s contribution to compensation.”
