Fujitsu Bugs That Despatched Harmless Individuals to Jail Had been Identified ‘From the Begin’

The FT article additionally mentioned the Put up Workplace, which used prosecution powers available to private corporations within the UK, obtained 700 of the 900 convictions. The opposite convictions got here in circumstances introduced by Scottish prosecutors. The scandal may lead to reforms of the non-public prosecution system that lets organizations take folks to courtroom.

Bugs Had been Understood “Means Again to 1999”

Earlier this week, Patterson told UK Parliament members that “Fujitsu wish to apologize for our half on this appalling miscarriage of justice. We had been concerned from the very begin. We did have bugs and errors within the system and we did assist the Put up Workplace of their prosecutions of the sub-postmasters. For that we’re actually sorry.”

Patterson additionally instructed Parliament members that Fujitsu has “an ethical obligation” to contribute to the compensation for victims.

Patterson testified immediately in a unique setting, answering questions from legal professionals representing victims. A type of legal professionals, Flora Web page, asked Patterson, “Did no one traditionally make that fairly apparent connection between very poor code going out into operation after which very poor knowledge popping out and thru the litigation assist service?”

Patterson answered, “Whether or not folks made that connection or not, what could be very evident… is that that connection and understanding about what was happening and the place was it, was understood by definitely Fujitsu and definitely understood by Put up Workplace means again to 1999. It is all about what you do with that info… that may be a query for this inquiry.”

Put up Workplace Minister Kevin Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton, told the BBC that his “primary precedence” is to “try to get compensation and get solutions for folks.”

“You’ve got had marriages fail, folks commit suicide, an horrendous impression on folks’s lives,” he mentioned. “It is completely affordable that the general public ought to demand persons are held to account and that ought to imply prison prosecutions wherever potential.” The UK authorities additionally has plans for a new law to “swiftly exonerate and compensate” individuals who had been falsely convicted.

This story initially appeared on Ars Technica.