An independent panel investigating the British post office scandal involving a faulty accounting system developed by Fujitsu has urged the Japanese firm, the British government and others to take relief measures for wrongly convicted post office workers.
The panel set up by the British government recommended financial redress measures should be taken promptly for some 10,000 eligible claimants. It called for an outline of the measures to be submitted by the end of October.
In its report released Tuesday, the panel concluded the redress measures for postmasters and other victims have been insufficient and need sizable improvement.
It also stressed the need for affording opportunities for the victims to receive legal advice and for providing financial redress to close family members who suffered serious adverse consequences.
The panel proposed setting up a permanent public body to handle the redress measures in a unified manner.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Fujitsu showed its readiness to discuss its response to the recommendations and reiterated its deep regret and apology.
In the scandal, accounting errors occurred at post offices across Britain that had introduced Fujitsu's Horizon accounting system between 1999 and 2015.
The scandal led to indictments of more than 700 people, including post office chiefs. It was later discovered that the problem was caused by a flaw in the accounting system.
In 2024, guilty sentences against falsely accused victims were reversed and a compensation law was enacted. A total of approximately £1.09 billion in compensation had been paid to more than 7,900 victims by the end of June.
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