Secrets Unveiled: How a Hidden Deal Between Post Office and Fujitsu Led to a Historic Miscarriage of Justice

A shocking revelation has emerged regarding a long-standing scandal involving the Post Office and Fujitsu, shedding light on a deal made 19 years ago to rectify critical errors in the Horizon IT system. This agreement, established in 2006, aimed to address transaction discrepancies that had devastating consequences for over 900 sub-postmasters wrongfully prosecuted due to accounting shortfalls caused by software bugs.

Previously, the Post Office denied the existence of any flaws in the Horizon system, asserting that any discrepancies were the result of incompetence or dishonesty by the sub-postmasters themselves. The newly uncovered document, however, contradicts this narrative, revealing that the Post Office had an acknowledgment of Horizon’s inability to maintain data integrity and that Fujitsu had a commercial obligation to correct errors or compensate the Post Office for each transaction affected by bugs.

Between 1999 and 2015, the faulty Horizon system led to significant harm, forcing sub-postmasters into bankruptcy and even resulting in some imprisonments. The document highlights that Fujitsu was aware of potential issues and had agreed to a framework that required them to reconcile inaccuracies—leading to profound implications for ongoing legal proceedings and public inquiries into the scandal.

Mr. Lee Castleton, one of the affected sub-postmasters, who faced significant financial penalties after being prosecuted, expressed dismay at the revelation, characterizing it as a shameful attempt to conceal the truth. Furthermore, the discrepancies outlined in the document support claims made by whistleblower Richard Roll, who indicated that corrections to transactions were routinely required to avoid liability.

The gravity of this revelation has caused shock waves among experts involved in the investigation, with forensic accountant Ron Warmington describing the document’s implications as “dynamite.” While the Post Office claims to be focused on transparent engagement with the ongoing public inquiry and reparation efforts, the uncovering of this agreement further entrenches the infamous narrative of the Horizon scandal as one of the most tragic miscarriages of justice in British legal history.