Summary
The head of Fujitsu's European operations, Paul Patterson, will step down in March to become the non-executive chairman of Fujitsu's UK business. He has been involved in addressing the outcomes of the Horizon IT system scandal, which wrongly led to the prosecution of over 900 sub-postmasters due to system errors. Fujitsu has agreed to contribute to compensation for the victims but will finalize payment after the inquiry's final report is released.
Key Facts
- Paul Patterson, Fujitsu's Europe chief, will leave his current role in March and become a non-executive chairman.
- The Horizon IT system by Fujitsu falsely showed financial shortfalls, leading to over 900 wrongful prosecutions.
- The scandal is considered one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British history, with some victims passing away before being cleared.
- Fujitsu will contribute to victim compensation but is waiting for the final inquiry report to decide on how much.
- Patterson joined Fujitsu in 2010 and became the Europe chief executive in 2019.
- The inquiry report suggests that bugs in the Horizon IT system were known "right from the very start."
- Patterson has been criticized for delaying compensation until the inquiry's report is completed.
- Mikihito Saito will replace Patterson as the head of European operations.
