The computer company at the heart of the subpostmaster scandal has been handed a £ 500 million contract by the government.
Fujitsu HMRC Next 5 years.
The deal was awarded even though the company’s Horizon software was accused of accounting glitches and hundreds of sub-postmasters lost their jobs and even were imprisoned.
HM Revenue and Customs is the agency responsible for calculating and collecting taxes.
Worker’s Deputy leader Angela Rayner named this decision a “kick for the sub-postmaster.”
She added: “The government is doing nothing to ensure that this company is held to explain its role in the Horizon scandal.
“As a result, people have lost their homes, their reputation, and even their lives.
“All ongoing government contracts with Fujitsu must be urgently reviewed.”
One of the 700 UK-wide sub-postmasters affected was Kasif Nadim from Borders’ Green Law.
He was forced by post office Pay £ 28,000 after mistakenly identifying the missing money for a defective IT system.
He states: “It’s crazy that they’re reusing the company for everything, not to mention their relationship with taxpayers.
“After the pandemic British government Is struggling for money, so there is no better way to generate it than to release this company to national taxpayers.
“No one has been detained to explain the post office scandal. Fujitsu is just one of many who caused confusion and left unharmed.”
It was believed that there were about 73 affected subpostmasters in Scotland.
It was also revealed that the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had to provide the post office with £ 1 billion to cover post-scandal indemnity claims.
However, HMRC still chose to sign a large contract with Fujitsu to “provide all managed desktop, printing, and workspace services.”
According to public information, the company recently won a £ 44m contract for telecommunications services and a £ 6.1 million contract for this year’s telephone network.
£ 665,000 for an “emergency alert system” by Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports.
“In the current situation, Fujitsu would be surprised to be handed these contracts by the government,” Labor Party Rep. Kevan Jones said.
Fujitsu did not want to comment, saying that HMRC cannot discuss individual contracts.
However, a spokeswoman added: “All our contracts are determined by fair and open competition to improve customer service and get the best deal for taxpayers. We follow government procurement rules.”
Between 2000 and 2014, hundreds of sub-postmasters were falsely accused of negligent theft, fraud, and misaccounting.
With Horizon software.
So far, 72 have been successful in overturning the conviction, and an additional 664 may be eligible for compensation.
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