If Fujitsu system has sent people to prison........

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If Fujitsu system has sent people to prison, will Post office face huge compensation claims?

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/ins ... laims.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Over the last few years Computer Weekly has written about the plight of sub-postmasters that allege that the accounting system that they use has been faulty and caused them to be falsely accused of cooking the books.

Some sub-postmasters have even gone to prison.

But there are a large number of claims that it is the Horizon accounting system, developed by Fujitsu, that is to blame for accounts being wrong. The Post Office has always claimed that the Horizon system is accurate 100% of the time.

In recent weeks there has been a change in attitude from the Post Office. It is now prepared to look closely at the system and has given a sort of amnesty to anybody that might have information about the system. This has occurred following pressure from the sub-postmasters, lawyers, the press and an organization known as the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance (JFSA).

I was wondering what will happen if it is revealed that the system is faulty? People have had to spend time in prison and many that have not gone to prison have had their lives wrecked.

So if Horizon is at fault surely these people will be entitled to compensation. Will the Post Office pay or will it turn to Fujitsu for this as the developer of the system?

The JFSA said although it is unlikely to happen it wants people who worked on the Horizon project at Fujitsu all those years ago to come forward if they have any information.

If you want to contribute do it here. http://www.jfsa.org.uk/Inquiry.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[subbie]

It all depends on what is written in the report that Second Sight the independent investigators, issue. How detailed will this report be, and who exactly will get to see it?

I think any class action that is taken will be against both the Post Office and Fujitsu, it may even boil over and suck in Royal Mail Group, it was after all their system they bought it.

Of course Court action may not happen, an out of court settlement might come out of this, a bit like the scheme set up by the Banks to deal with mis selling of loan protection insurance, but if people do not come forward with info that they have, then they will not help matters, and of course they wont get any compensation.

It looks to me as if the company does want to engage with a kind of truth and reconciliation process, so its up to us workers, what do we know?

Subbie

[AIS]

so the odd 300-400 quid you put in now and then after spending hours looking for it, could be as simple as a system error , fanf**king tastic

[cdpete2004]

I will be submitting some first hand observations involving both the Horizon system banking service and Product & Branch Accounting falsifying and altering financial documents submitted by my office which were 'lost' for 2 weeks, in order to show 1) that the banking system is not foolproof, and that 2) POL seems to routinely alter financial documents to suit themselves.

Dont know how many SPMRs or PO staff read the memo of around 21/12/12 involving Lloyds TSB debit card transactions, where transactions were 'declined' but customer accounts were debited anyway. This problem was notified to PO branches 3 days after the incident. This also happened with Santander about two weeks ago, but there was no memo promulgated, just a 'shrug of the shoulders' from NBSC when I called on behalf of a customer to find out why he had a receipt showing 'transaction declined', and also had a print out of his account balance page the next morning showing a withdrawal had been made. 'We don't notify branches or customers becasue we don't know whose problem it is, ours or the banks system' was the reply from NBSC. Hope any other SPMRs with similar experiences submit their observations to the auditors.

With regards P & BA, submitted giro deposits and withdrawals in week 22, these got 'lost' so got a memo asking for help in confirming deposits. A week later, received a transaction correction for almost £2000 for Co-Op cheques cashed at the office but not received. Two weeks later, after submitting all relevant paperwork, received a credit for cheques encashed. A copy of my daily record of co-op cheques encahed was also received, the accounting week number had been altered from week 22 to week 24. Now tell me, if a SPMR similarly altered or falsified their daily, and weekly accounting figures, what would be the outcome ? I believe this evidence that POL staff routinely falsify and alters accounting documents should be taken into account by the independent auditors when weighing up the balance of probability that every SPMR with an accounting problem is dishonest, and that POL is 100% honest in every accounting matter.