While Fujitsu had committed to make a contribution to compensate victims once the public inquiry had reported, Lord Beamish said: “Today, there has been no money paid to victims from Fujitsu.
Fujitsu should “pay up” hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation immediately for its central role in the “ghastly fraud” that ruined the lives of innocent Post Office branch managers, leading campaigners have said.
He added: “They said they weren’t going to bid for new contracts, but what they are doing is extending existing contracts and that is at the same time as the taxpayer is paying out nearly £600 million in compensation to victims and many victims are still waiting for compensation.
Parliament was told that if the Japanese tech giant was an individual it would be facing years if not decades in jail for its active part in the Horizon IT scandal which saw subpostmasters “maliciously prosecuted”.
But while ministers said it was too soon to decide on Fujitsu’s final contribution, they added an interim payment by the firm being demanded by critics would be “very welcome and very appropriate in these circumstances”.
