Post Office lied and threatened BBC over Fujitsu dev whistleblower
A long-running UK scandal over the Post Office’s Horizon accounting system is back in the spotlight after it emerged that managers misled courts and journalists about Fujitsu’s ability to secretly alter branch records. Commenters describe how faulty software and undisclosed remote access led to hundreds of wrongful prosecutions of sub‑postmasters, financial ruin, and suicides, while both the Post Office and Fujitsu allegedly ignored or suppressed evidence of systemic flaws. The exchange highlights deeper concerns about private prosecutions, weak technical scrutiny in the courts, ineffective oversight and auditing, and the fact that meaningful political action only followed a recent TV dramatisation of events.
Overview & Human Impact
- Horizon accounting software errors led to thousands of UK sub‑postmasters being accused of theft/fraud from 1999–2015; ~700 convictions, many bankruptcies, family breakdowns, suicides.
- Commenters describe it as life‑ruining, Kafkaesque, and “Minority Report”‑like: “computer says you’re guilty.”
- Several note this was known for years via investigative reporting, but only gained mass attention after a recent TV drama.
Responsibility, Accountability & Legal Structure
- Strong sentiment that the Post Office bears primary blame: it knew about Horizon faults, commissioned reports saying the system was unreliable, then fired/ignored investigators and withheld/destroyed evidence.
- Fujitsu is also criticised for poor engineering, remote alteration of records without audit trails, and failing to disclose known bugs affecting prosecutions.
- Debate over the role of private prosecutions:
- Some argue allowing the Post Office to act as both victim and prosecutor was structurally dangerous.
- Others note similar miscarriages occurred in Scotland, where prosecutions were public, so private prosecution isn’t the sole cause.
- Courts are criticised for over‑trusting computer evidence and not demanding proper scrutiny or disclosure.
- Many call for criminal charges (perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office) for executives and lawyers; others stress this must follow proof “to criminal standard.”
Horizon Technical & Process Failures
- Multiple bugs cited: screen freezes leading to duplicate entries, database duplication bugs, timeouts converting incomplete sessions into real transactions, replication/synchronisation errors.
- Fujitsu staff could remotely insert or modify transactions, often sloppily, and such changes were not properly logged; Post Office repeatedly denied this capability.
- Accounting controls and auditability were grossly inadequate compared to best practices (immutability, dual‑control, audit logs, independent reconciliation).
Compensation, Continuing Use & Governance
- Post Office reduced compensation provisions because too few victims applied, while still contesting many appeals and offering low settlements.
- Horizon (in updated form) remains in use; a cloud‑based replacement is planned.
- Some commenters see this as part of a wider UK pattern: weak oversight of quasi‑private public bodies, cosy relationships with big IT contractors, and honours/patronage systems rewarding failure.
Media, Honours & Public Reaction
- Earlier BBC Panorama, Guardian, and Private Eye work raised alarms years ago; little happened until the ITV drama prompted public outrage and political action.
- A Post Office chief was awarded a CBE and later promised to return it after a massive petition; discussion notes only the monarch can formally annul such honours.
- Honours are increasingly viewed as devalued or politicised (e.g., peerages, party donors).
Wider Lessons: IT, Audit & Law
- Commenters stress the need for strong internal/IT audit, separation between system vendor and prosecutor, and legal scepticism about complex software evidence.
- Comparisons made to SOX‑style controls, French cash‑register standards, and the perils of plea‑bargain dynamics that pressure innocents to plead guilty.