European boss of Post Office IT scandal firm Fujitsu to step down

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Lauren AlmeidaJanuary 29, 2026 at 03:26 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Paul Patterson, the European head of Fujitsu, the company behind the faulty Horizon software in the Post Office scandal, will step down in March to become non-executive chair of Fujitsu's UK business. In this new role, he will continue managing the company's response to the ongoing inquiry into the scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of post office operators. Patterson has acknowledged Fujitsu's "moral obligation" to compensate victims and admitted the company knew about Horizon's defects since the 1990s. He has stated that Fujitsu will determine the compensation amount after the public inquiry publishes its final report, while defending the company against accusations of being a "parasite" despite continuing to receive UK government contracts. The UK government estimates the total cost of payouts to be £1.8 billion, with £1.33 billion already paid to over 10,000 victims.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Japan 30% Commons business and trade committee 40% Sir Wyn Williams ×260% UK ×270% Horizon ×475% Post Office ×280% Paul Patterson ×685% Fujitsu ×790%

Keywords

post office it scandal 100% fujitsu 90% horizon software 80% paul patterson 70% public inquiry 60% financial redress 60% subpostmasters 50% government contracts 40% moral obligation 40%