There was no discussion about how much Fujitsu, the maker of the flawed Horizon post office software, should contribute to compensating its victims, the company’s chief executive for Europe said.

The company has discussed payment for its proposal with the government spending billions of pounds on repairs for victims of the computer program that falsely generated financial deficits.

But no figure was mentioned for the Japanese company to pay, European CEO Paul Patterson told the inquiry into the Horizon scandal.

More than 700 postmasters who ran UK post office branches were wrongfully convicted of theft and false accounting, while others ran up huge debts, lost homes, fell ill, committed suicide and left the communities when they failed to pay the perceived shortfalls.

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When asked what Fujitsu would compensate, Mr Patterson repeatedly declined to provide a figure but said the company would pay into an existing government compensation scheme.

The Post Office wants to use the ‘Horizon’ system, which is not meant to continue‘ for four years

Despite the scandal and sub-postmasters continuing to experience problems with Horizon, the program is still in use by the post office and will continue to be.

According to Mr Patterson, he requested a four-year extension of his Fujitsu contract.

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There is “nervousness” about any expansion at Fujitsu, Mr Patterson said, as as Horizon continues to be used, “there is an increasing risk of infrastructure failure that could have a negative impact on the delivery of services to the public “.

“I’m very worried about it,” he said. “This system is not meant to continue and has had no material investment in the past four years.”

In fact, Mr. Patterson could not say whether the software is reliable for accounting purposes, adding that he is “not qualified to answer” the question.

“Bureaucracy Stops Repair”

Renewed attention was paid to the Horizon failures and associated injustices, described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history, after the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office aired in January 2024.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the drama had caused an “urgency” to speed up payments to affected sub-postmasters, but she had faced “red tape” that had prevented compensation during her time as secretary of state at the Department for Business and Commerce.

Payment delays

Many victims have not yet received compensation. A sub-postmaster at Monday’s inquest, Terry, told Sky News he had yet to receive any money, although it had been almost 20 years since he left the post office.

He hasn’t heard anything since he and his wife met Mr. Patterson in August. “He didn’t live up to the hope he instilled in us,” his wife Cindy said.

Terry said he felt let down by the institution, not just Mr. Patterson.