Former Fujitsu Engineer Apologizes for Role in Post Office IT Scandal

Former Fujitsu engineer apologizes for role in Post Office IT scandal

In one of the biggest IT scandals to hit the UK, Gareth Jenkins, a former distinguished engineer at Fujitsu Services Ltd, has admitted to providing incomplete evidence that led to the wrongful conviction of Post Office workers. Speaking during the inquiry into the Post Office Horizon system, Jenkins expressed regret for his actions, stating that he had “clearly got trapped into doing things that I shouldn’t have done.”

The Horizon system, an EPOS and backend finance system used by thousands of Post Office branches, was first implemented by ICL, a UK technology company later acquired by Fujitsu. Between 1999 and 2015, 736 local branch managers were wrongfully convicted of fraud due to errors in the system.

Jenkins appeared as an expert witness in several subpostmaster cases, including that of Seema Misra, who was wrongly convicted of theft and false accounting in 2010. Her conviction was overturned in 2021. Flora Page, Misra’s lawyer, accused Jenkins of tailoring his evidence to ensure the prosecution’s success, a claim he denied.

During the inquiry, Page highlighted issues with the Horizon system, including “terrible code” in the EPOS system. Jenkins, who assumed responsibility for the code in 2004-2005, claimed he believed the problems had been resolved by then.

In addition to his role in the scandal, Jenkins came under fire for emails in which he criticized Misra for questioning the system’s reliability. The Post Office has also faced criticism for obstructing independent investigations into the Horizon IT system.

As the inquiry continues, the full extent of the Post Office IT scandal and the role of individuals like Gareth Jenkins in perpetuating it are being brought to light.