Fujitsu should repay the “fortune” spent on the Post Office scandal if it is found culpable, the Justice Secretary suggested, as pressure mounts on the firm behind the faulty Horizon software.
If the statutory inquiry into the saga finds the “scale of the incompetence is as we might imagine”, the Government would want to “secure proper recompense on behalf of the taxpayer”, Alex Chalk said.
Mr Chalk said the Government would wait for the conclusions of the inquiry chaired by retired judge Sir Wyn Williams before it decides what action, if any, to take against the company.
“But bluntly, if the scale of the incompetence is as we might imagine, then we would want to secure proper recompense on behalf of the taxpayer,” the Cabinet minister told ITV’s Peston.
“It’s absolutely right that there should be justice across the piece, yes for the subpostmasters, which we’re talking about today, but frankly also for the taxpayer. This has cost and will cost a fortune.”
If Fujitsu is found to be at fault, it “should face the consequences”, Mr Chalk added, in a sign ministers could launch legal action against the Japanese company.