The boss of Fujitsu Europe, Paul Patterson tells MPs at the Business and Trade Committee that he is sorry for his company’s role in the Post Office Horizon scandal. Mr Patterson starts his evidence at the committee by saying: "To the sub-postmasters and their families, Fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in this appalling miscarriage of justice”. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 Firstly, if I may just comment on what I've just been listening to this morning to the
00:04 sub-postmasters and their families.
00:07 Fujitsu would like to apologise for our part in this appalling miscarriage of justice.
00:15 We were involved from the very start.
00:17 We did have bugs and errors in the system and we did help the post office in their prosecutions
00:26 of the sub-postmasters.
00:27 For that, we are truly sorry.
00:31 To your question, Chair, around our ethics, I believe we are an ethical company.
00:38 The company today is quite different to the company in the early 2000s and clearly we
00:44 need to demonstrate that both to our customers, to government and to the wider society here
00:49 in the UK.
00:50 I've got in front of me, Mr Paterson, the Fujitsu Code of Conduct.
00:53 It says we treat customers, business partners and competitors fairly and with respect.
01:00 Did you live up to those values when it came to the sub-postmasters?
01:03 No, we did not.
01:05 It is very clear from the evidence before the committee and also in the inquiry that
01:13 our standards were not at the level that we adhere to and state, as you rightly read,
01:18 to evidence was used to put innocent people in prison.
01:23 Yes, there was evidence from us.
01:26 We were supporting the post office in their prosecutions.
01:31 There was data given from us to them to support those prosecutions, so yes.
01:36 Is there a moral obligation, Mr Paterson, for you to contribute?
01:40 I think there is a moral obligation for the company to contribute.