Postmasters livid as Fujitsu boss invited to state go to banquet

Buckingham Palace faced uproar last night after it was revealed that a boss of the Japanese firm behind the Post Office scandal has been invited to a lavish Royal banquet in London.

The Mail on Sunday has learned that the Fujitsu representative will join the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at the Guildhall during the current state visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Victims of the scandal reacted with fury, with one, Seema Misra, calling the decision to include the technology giant ‘simply terrible’.

Mrs Misra, a former sub-postmistress wrongly jailed while she was pregnant, said: ‘There’s no way Fujitsu should be invited. They have a lot to answer before they do anything else.’

Fujitsu developed the Post Office’s faulty Horizon IT system, which led to hundreds of postal workers being wrongly accused of theft and false accounting.

The Mail on Sunday has learned that a Fujitsu representative will join the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at the Guildhall during the current state visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan (Stock Photo)

Former sub-postmaster Sir Alan Bates (pictured, in February), knighted for his campaign for justice on behalf of his fellow Post Office workers, said he hoped Prince Edward will take the chance to raise the scandal with Fujitsu’s representative

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako pictured at Stansted Airport on Saturday. Emperor Naruhito is attending Wednesday’s banquet as part of an eight-day visit

The system was introduced in 1999 to simplify accounting and stocktaking. Within days a helpline was receiving calls complaining about financial anomalies, yet these were not taken seriously.

Instead, in what has been called the UK’s most widespread miscarriage of justice, more than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for stealing.

Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells was eventually forced out of office over the scandal, but Fujitsu, which supported the prosecutions, has largely escaped public accountability.

Former sub-postmaster Sir Alan Bates, knighted for his campaign for justice on behalf of his fellow Post Office workers, said he hoped Prince Edward will take the chance to raise the scandal with Fujitsu’s representative.

‘I think it’s very important because it’s affected an awful lot of lives in this country,’ Sir Alan said.

‘It’s a major scandal. I would be delighted if he asked what they are prepared to do to redress it.’

Last week a series of Fujitsu bosses gave evidence at the inquiry in London into the Post Office’s warped crusade, which ruined so many people’s lives.

Despite campaigns, it took decades for the organisation to admit that faults with Horizon were behind many of the financial shortfalls in branch accounts.

Varchas Patel, whose ex-postmaster father Vipinchandra, 70, was wrongfully convicted of stealing £75,000 before his conviction was quashed in 2020, said nobody from Fujitsu should ‘mingle with Royalty until each and every sub-postmaster and mistress [case] has been fully settled’.

Emperor Naruhito is attending Wednesday’s banquet as part of an eight-day visit. Fujitsu has confirmed that one of its representatives will be there ‘by invitation’.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment, but a source confirmed the Guildhall banquet ‘is part of the formal state visit’

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh pictured at Royal Ascot on Wednesday

Founded in 1935, Fujitsu is worth £58 billion, with its UK arm having sales of £1.3 billion last year. As the Government has grown ever more dependent on the firm’s software, its interest in pursuing Fujitsu staff who insisted Horizon was infallible has remained low. It is also keen to preserve the 7,000 jobs created by the company.

The City of London Corporation said: ‘We are proud to host the Banquet at Guildhall during the state visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan. This event marks the historic and strong ties between our two nations and is an important moment for the City, London and the whole country. Guest lists for state-visit banquets are compiled alongside Government departments and relevant embassies. We do not comment on individual guests.’

Buckingham Palace declined to comment, but a source confirmed the Guildhall banquet ‘is part of the formal state visit’.