Fujitsu’s Horizon IT system, notorious for its role in the wrongful prosecution of numerous Post Office workers, might remain in service for another five years.
According to Computer Weekly, the Post Office is poised to finalise a £180 million agreement with Fujitsu, the system’s creator, to maintain its operation.
For those who came in late, more than 900 sub-postmasters were erroneously charged with financial irregularities due to the defective Horizon system between 1999 and 2015, as the software falsely indicated shortages in branch funds.
The consequences were dire, leading to imprisonment, financial devastation, and, tragically, the loss of lives for some.
In 2019, the High Court found that the software was riddled with “bugs, errors, and defects,” which resulted in the unjust prosecution of sub-postmasters.
Initially, the Post Office intended to replace the Horizon software entirely with a new proprietary system named New Branch IT (NBIT) by 2025. However, setbacks in NBIT’s development have necessitated pushing the deadline to 2030 and seeking an extra £1 billion from the Treasury.
The underperformance of NBIT has compelled the Post Office to propose a five-year extension with Fujitsu to maintain Horizon’s functionality past its intended March 2025 discontinuation.
The Post Office is internally developing NBIT and managing the deployment alongside various suppliers.
Fujitsu has expressed reluctance to support the outdated Horizon system further without a definitive exit plan from the Post Office.
The Post Office has affirmed its dedication to implementing a robust new system but emphasised the critical need for comprehensive testing before widespread deployment.
“In partnership with postmasters, we are advancing the development and broadening our pilot programmes to introduce a new system suitable for the future across our 11,500 branches,” stated a Post Office representative.
“We are resolute in our commitment to this endeavour, and given the scale of our network, meticulous planning and extensive testing are paramount before proceeding with a full rollout.”
Once operational, NBIT is anticipated to be substantially more cost-effective than Horizon. Annual expenses are projected to be between £18 million and £25 million, in contrast to the current £60 million to £70 million.
Giving Fujitsu more money has attracted widespread criticism.
Richard Trinder, who heads the advocacy group Voice of the Postmaster, challenged the morality of granting Fujitsu a new contract, arguing that the funds should instead be allocated to compensating the affected individuals.
Concurrently, an extensive police inquiry into the scandal is in progress. Recent reports suggest that law enforcement agencies are preparing to assign a team of 80 detectives to the case, with a level of resource allocation akin to that of a significant homicide investigation.
