Fujitsu, the technology company at the center of the UK's Post Office Horizon scandal, has been awarded a £61 million contract by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The contract, which was not disclosed by HMRC, was revealed in a poll by The Morning Poll, which questioned whether Fujitsu should be blacklisted from government work following its role in the scandal. The Post Office scandal involved the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of its own employees, who were accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to a faulty IT system called Horizon, developed and maintained by Fujitsu.
The faulty software led to many sub-postmasters being financially ruined, and some were even imprisoned. Fujitsu has previously stated that it did not know the Horizon system was causing the discrepancies. The company has since been working to resolve the issue and has offered compensation to victims.
Despite the ongoing fallout from the Post Office scandal, Fujitsu continues to secure government contracts. The recent HMRC deal raises questions about the vetting processes for companies involved in public sector work, particularly those with a history of significant IT system failures that have led to severe consequences for individuals.