Post Office Horizon scandal victims have slammed Post Office for paying "£40 million" to extend its contract with Fujitsu to continue using the controversial Horizon IT software, as revealed in a recent report.
At least 900 subpostmasters and subpostmistresses were wrongly prosecuted for apparent financial shortfalls caused by faults in the accounting software, in what has been described as one of the UK’s biggest miscarriages of justice.
Despite that, data revealed by inews shows the Post Office has renewed its contract with Fujitsu to continue using Horizon until March 2026 at a cost of £40.8m.
The Post Office previously said it planned to replace Horizon with “new branch technology” but would maintain the old IT software until the new technology is developed.
Christopher Head OBE, a former sub postmaster, was sued by the Post Office in the civil courts for more than £80,000 that was supposedly missing from his branch. He has not yet been compensated.
Responding to Fujitsu’s new contract, he added, “We understand that in order to transition to a new system you have to maintain the old one until you get to the point that you are satisfied.
"In this circumstance, with the Post Office, you’d be more cautious given what’s happened with the previous system.”
Janet Skinner, aformer subpostmistress from Hull, was handed a nine-month sentence for theft in 2007 after £59,000 appeared to be missing from her Post Office branch.
She served three months of that sentence before being released with an electronic tag but was hospitalised in 2008 with a stress-related illness.
Commenting on the extension of Fujitsu’s contract, Skinner told inews, “It’s an insult. It’s like they are rewarding them for their bad behaviour.
“There needs to be accountability and accountability is not awarding contracts to a company that has been at the forefront of this scandal.
“It just infuriates me. Absolutely infuriates me. God knows what the other postmasters are feeling. It’s just like being kicked in the teeth.”
A spokesperson for the Post Office said that, while it is too early to speculate about when Horizon will be replaced, it is “committed to delivering a lower-risk, better-value new branch IT for postmasters”.
A Fujitsu spokesperson said, “We are focused on supporting the Post Office in their plans for a new service delivery model, so branches can continue to deliver key services to the public.”
