In their closing statements at the latest phase of the inquiry, the legal representatives of hundreds of post office operators whose lives were ruined rounded on those who had given evidence in recent weeks.
They included Fujitsu's Europe director, Paul Patterson, with his vague promises of compensation, to the middle-ranking Post Office officials who privately discussed shredding damning evidence and the incompetent investigators who were said to have bullied their targets for financial gain.
More than 900 branch managers were pursued by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 after the Horizon accounting software built by Fujitsu made it look as though money was missing from their branches.
Evidence has been heard that staff knew from the start that Horizon was riddled with bugs and defects but that this was kept from the post office operators being prosecuted and from the courts, with the brand's reputation and financial considerations taking priority over justice.
This story is from the February 03, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the February 03, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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