Fujitsu was paid £80m by HM Income & Customs (HMRC) in March alone as its public sector enterprise continues unabated, regardless of its involvement in one of many largest miscarriages of justice in UK historical past.
Within the first quarter of this 12 months, the IT big acquired about £123m of taxpayers’ money from HMRC alone, however though talks have begun, it’s but to decide to an quantity it is going to pay in direction of the prices of the scandal it fuelled.
In response to the newest HMRC spending figures, which embrace all contracts value over £25,000, the division’s £80m spending with Fujitsu in March included greater than £48m for cell phones and pill computer systems.
Different HMRC spending with Fujitsu in March included about £4.9m for different IT {hardware}, £4.9m for bodily internet hosting and infrastructure, £4.6m for IT software program licences and assist, and £1.7m for desktop companies.
March was a bumper month. As compared, January noticed HMRC pay £25m to Fujitsu, which was its largest provider that month when it comes to worth. It paid the provider £18m in February, the place it was the second largest provider to HMRC, behind fellow IT big Capgemini.
The £123m paid in three months reveals rising spend with Fujitsu. In response to authorities figures, HMRC spent about £240m with Fujitsu over the entire of 2024. Fujitsu might land over half a billion kilos in contracts from HMRC alone this 12 months because the UK public sector continues to reward the provider.
The large numbers come regardless of Fujitsu’s self-imposed pause on bidding for presidency contracts after its function within the Publish Workplace scandal grew to become extra broadly understood. Fujitsu supported the Publish Workplace when it blamed and prosecuted subpostmasters for unexplained account shortfalls, which had been brought on by software program errors it was conscious of.
Fujitsu has lastly agreed to barter its contribution in direction of the large prices of the scandal. In March, the federal government introduced there was an settlement to start talks on compensation. Fujitsu has beforehand said it could wait till the general public inquiry’s conclusion earlier than committing to talks. The general public inquiry has completed its public hearings, however as but there isn’t a date for the publication of the report from chair Wynn Williams.
Jo Hamilton, a subpostmaster in South Warnborough, Hampshire, between 2003 and 2005, who had a wrongful conviction for false accounting overturned in 2021, stated: “It appears to me that Fujitsu is filling its boots with money whereas it may well, as a result of its days are numbered.”
Peer James Arbuthnot, a long-time campaigner for justice for subpostmasters, who was beforehand Hamilton’s MP in North East Hampshire, stated: “Why on earth is the federal government undermining its personal bargaining place with Fujitsu, an organization that has but to pay a penny in direction of the carnage it helped trigger within the Publish Workplace?”
The federal government isn’t just failing to get a contribution from Fujitsu – it’s really paying cash to Fujitsu James Arbuthnot, Conservative peer and former MP
He harassed that all the invoice for paying again cash to the subpostmasters has come from taxpayers. “The federal government isn’t just failing to get a contribution from Fujitsu – it’s really paying cash to Fujitsu, which is digging in its place as a way to contribute as little as it may well.”
He listed a few of Fujitsu’s selections that enabled the Publish Workplace scandal. “Let’s not overlook it was Fujitsu that was altering the subpostmasters’ accounts remotely, whereas denying it was doing it and never conserving a report of what they had been doing. It was Fujitsu that, understanding of the bugs and faults of their software program, had been swearing on oath in courtroom that these bugs and faults didn’t exist. And it was Fujitsu that then watched the subpostmasters be convicted because of Fujitsu’s lies, and stood again as hundreds of lives had been ruined,” he stated.
“It’s time for this to cease,” he added.
An HMRC spokesperson stated: “We work with tons of of suppliers – huge and small – and our contracts are publicly out there to view by Contracts Finder or Discover A Tender. The scale and complexity of our IT property implies that a number of companions are concerned in constructing and sustaining virtually all of our methods and companies.”
Former subpostmaster Scott Darlington, who had his wrongful conviction for false accounting overturned in 2021, remains to be ready for his full monetary redress.
“It’s the standard story. I imply, for some cause, the federal government doesn’t thoughts handing out enormous quantities of cash to completely different authorized groups, companies, Fujitsu and all that, however relating to paying us, they actually appear to resent all the things about it. They are going to try to knock you down £50 right here and there and stuff like that.”
Pc Weekly first uncovered the scandal in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered on account of Horizon accounting software program, which led to probably the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British historical past (see beneath timeline of Pc Weekly articles concerning the scandal since 2009).
