Post Office boss Paula Vennells insisted she was told by a Fujitsu boss that the Horizon computer system was “as secure as Fort Knox” – and he has allegedly now been named.
Duncan Tait, the chief executive of Fujitsu UK between 2011 and 2014, is the person who made the comment to Ms Vennells, the Times has reported. Mr Tait, 57, lives in a £4 million house in north London and declined to apologise in a public statement released last week.
He is now on a multi-million pound pay deal at Inchcape, a FTSE 250 online car dealership. Ms Vennells claims she was told that branch accounts could not be accessed without the knowledge of postmasters – with her alleged conversation with Mr Tait forming a key part of her defence.
It came after faulty software made it look like money was missing from the branches of more than 900 sub-postmasters and postmistresses.
Ms Vennells, who following the scandal’s newfound spotlight handed back her CBE, told the business select committee in 2020: “I remember being told by Fujitsu’s then CEO when I raised it with him that the system was ‘like Fort Knox’.
“He had been a trusted outsource partner and had the reputation of a highly competent technology sector CEO. His word was important to me.”
The Times claimed two sources confirmed the former CEO in question is Mr Tait. His successor Michael Keegan – husband to education secretary Gillian Keegan – denied Mr Tait made the comment, while the man himself has remained silent on the matter.
In a statement provided by the strategic advisory firm Dentons Global Advisors, he said: “I am appalled by the harsh treatment of the sub-postmasters and fully support the public inquiry. It would be inappropriate for me to comment ahead of this.”
He later claimed to have been telling Ms Vennells about the software’s ability to resist cyber attacks – not the possibility of remote access. Mr Tait is believed to have been paid £3.2 million during his time as chief executive of Fujitsu Service Limited.
Between 1999 and 2015, 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were prosecuted by the Post Office, along with 283 cases from other bodies.
In some cases, the accused went to prison for false accounting and theft, and many were financially destroyed. Some families believe the stress led to health conditions, addiction and premature deaths.
Under government plans, victims will be able to sign a form to say they are innocent, to have their convictions overturned and claim compensation. No10 has also said it will work with Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure the victims wrongly accused in those nations can also be cleared.
The Met Police is investigating the Post Office over possible fraud offences from the false allegations.
In 2019, the High Court ruled the Horizon software contained “bugs, errors and defects” and there was a “material risk” it had caused shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts.
