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These are the boys who ran Fujitsu whereas the pc big’s flawed Horizon accounting system robbed hundreds of postmasters of their livelihoods, liberty – and in some circumstances their lives.
For years, the Fujitsu fats cats pocketed beneficiant six and 7 determine salaries plus bonuses whereas Horizon induced untold distress for the three,500 postmasters wrongly accused of stealing from the Publish Workplace over a 20-year interval.
Because the anger over the Horizon scandal grew, so have requires the £24bn Japanese tech big — whose UK arm has simply posted a £22m revenue — to foot the invoice for compensation for his or her victims.
About 700 sub-postmasters have been wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2019, and dozens of individuals died earlier than they may clear their names and the scandal, highlighted in ITV’s drama Mr Bates vs The Publish Workplace, has been linked to 4 suicides.
Yesterday it was introduced that lots of of wrongly-convicted department managers may have their names cleared by the top of the yr, with out happening the slower route of every case being thought-about by the Courtroom of Enchantment.
It additionally emerged that Fujitsu has been awarded work totalling £4.9billion because the December 2019 Courtroom of Enchantment ruling. Some £3.6billion of that has come since February 2020, when Mr Sunak grew to become Chancellor and later Prime Minister. The evaluation of knowledge compiled by Tussell, carried out by the Monetary Occasions, comes as MPs demand the agency is barred from any extra public work.
Former Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi, who has campaigned for sub-postmasters, advised LBC: ‘I believe that ought to stop instantly. Fujitsu shouldn’t be awarded any contracts in any respect till they’ve truly come ahead with what treatment corporately, the present CEO, chairman, board are going to do to treatment this.’
Probably the most high-profile of the previous Fujitsu bosses is Michael Keegan, 61, (centre) who was chairman and CEO between 2015 and 2018. Pictured: Mr Keegan with Gillian Keegan and Rishi Sunak
The Fujitsu fats cats pocketed beneficiant six and 7 determine salaries plus bonuses whereas Horizon induced untold distress for the three,500 postmasters wrongly accused of stealing
Mr Keegan, husband of Gillian Keegan, is pictured with Rishi Sunak
Regardless of the continued scandal, Fujitsu remains to be engaged in billions of kilos price of ongoing IT contracts for presidency departments such because the Residence Workplace and Ministry of Defence, and for the Publish Workplace itself, which continues to make use of a more moderen model of the Horizon system.
One of many postmasters who misplaced his job within the Horizon scandal mentioned the highest figures at Fujitsu had ‘inquiries to reply’ and needs to be stripped of their profitable pay packets and bonuses in the event that they have been discovered culpable.
Christopher Head, 36, from West Boldon, Tyneside — previously the UK’s youngest postmaster – needed to promote his thriving enterprise at a loss after Horizon mistakenly confirmed a shortfall of £80,000 at his department, now after nightmare years of threats of prosecution and civil lawsuits, he is at present been supplied simply 12 per cent of the compensation quantity he has claimed from the Publish Workplace.
He advised MailOnline: ‘Till they reply questions we will not inform precisely how a lot the senior figures at Fujitsu knew about what was occurring.
‘But it surely was taking place on their watch and so they have to be held accountable in the identical method as senior bosses on the Publish Workplace.
‘If they’re present in any approach to be accountable for what occurred to postmasters, then they have to face the complete pressure of the regulation and their salaries and bonuses needs to be paid again.’
Richard Christou, 79, was UK chief govt of Fujitsu from 2000 to 2004, after which chairman for 3 years after that.
Below his stewardship Fujitsu grew to become the UK authorities’s second largest provider of IT companies.
Secretary of State for Training Gillian Keegan is pictured on the best
Mr and Mrs Keegan stay in a big £2m indifferent home in West Sussex, not removed from Ms Keegan’s Chichester constituency
Mr Keegan has sought to refute any suggestion that he would possibly bear any accountability for the sub-postmaster scandal
David Courtley, 66, held the put up as CEO of Fujitsu for 4 years from 2004
Mr Courtley, whose home is pictured, joined Fujitsu Companies as Chief Working Officer in July 2001 and moved to the CEO place in April 2004
Duncan Tait, 57, was on the helm of Fujitsu as CEO from 2011 to 2015, then grew to become the corporate’s first non-Japanese board member from 2015 to 2019
Mr Tait is now chief govt of Inchcape the automobile seller and lives barely a cricket ball’s throw from Lord’s in a £3m home in St John’s Wooden, London
The within of My Tait’s spacious house in London is pictured
In 2003, Alan Bates, memorably performed by Toby Jones within the ITV drama, had his Publish Workplace contract terminated after refusing to sign-off shortfalls at his department in Llandudno, north Wales following three years of issues.
In a later interview, when requested which points of his profession had given him probably the most satisfaction, Mr Christou mentioned: ‘Succeeding in turning round some very tough business conditions notably the contract the ICL [Fujitsu] had with Publish Workplace counters referred to as … Horizon’.
He retired in 2012 and now lives in Portugal, in response to his LinkedIn entry.
His most up-to-date deal with in London was a swanky house in one of many capital’s most costly areas, Knightsbridge.
Mr Christou was succeeded as Fujitsu UK CEO in 2004 by David Courtley, 66, who held the put up for 4 years.
Mr Courtley joined Fujitsu Companies as Chief Working Officer in July 2001 and moved to the CEO place in April 2004.
Below his management, Fujitsu Companies skilled speedy development and income for the monetary yr with earnings of £153million in 2005-6 hovering 50% larger than the earlier yr.
Regardless of the rising controversy over Horizon, the corporate entrenched its place because the IT companies supplier of alternative for the UK authorities, profitable a number of giant outsourcing contracts, together with for the Inland Income, MoD, and huge elements of the NHS.
Richard Christou, 79, was UK chief govt of Fujitsu from 2000 to 2004, after which chairman for 3 years after that
Mr Christou beforehand lived in a luxurious Knightsbridge house in London
Roger Gilbert, 75, was CEO of Fujitsu from 2009 to 2011
Mr Gilbert beforehand lived in a big home in Datchworth, Knebworth, Hertfordshire
Mr Gilbert beforehand lived in Datchworth, Knebworth, Hertfordshire
However just a few years after leaving Fujitsu, Mr Courtley, a Derby County supporter who lists music and driving his bike to work beneath his hobbies, was to be affected by one other scandal.
In 2012 he was abruptly let go by Phoenix IT Group after ‘accounting irregularities’ surfaced.
The corporate insisted that his resignation was not associated to the continued investigation, including that the scandal ‘is of as a lot concern to David as it’s to the rest of the board.’
Mr Courtley, who had joined simply the yr earlier than, on a base wage of £375,000 plus advantages, was entitled to 12 months’ discover, nevertheless it was not disclosed whether or not he obtained a payoff.
He now lives comfortably in a £2m Victorian semi in north London and is a director of Mozaic, a specialised IT consultancy working largely within the insurance coverage sector.
Roger Gilbert, 75, was CEO of Fujitsu from 2009 to 2011. In 2010, the corporate provoked fury for awarding ‘star’ workers with a £200k jolly to Bermuda – whereas most workers had their pay frozen.
Greater than 100 senior managers and their companions loved the expenses-paid Caribbean beano over 5 days, that includes an award ceremony at which Mr Gilbert handed over prizes.
Shortly afterwards, the 14,000 UK workers whose pay was frozen have been incensed to study that Mr Gilbert’s personal wage had doubled to £917,000 a yr when he grew to become chief govt.
The within of Mr Gilbert’s earlier house is pictured, displaying a spacious inside
The gorgeous backyard of Mr Gilbert’s earlier house is pictured
Mrs and her husband Mr Keegan are seen leaving 10 Downing Avenue after a drinks reception hosted by Rishi Sunak final yr
Below Mr Christou’s stewardship Fujitsu grew to become the UK authorities’s second largest provider of IT companies
Now retired, he bought a big indifferent property in Hertfordshire for simply over £1.1m in 2019. Duncan Tait, 57, was on the helm of Fujitsu as CEO from 2011 to 2015, then grew to become the corporate’s first non-Japanese board member from 2015 to 2019.
He’s now chief govt of Inchcape the automobile seller and lives barely a cricket ball’s throw from Lord’s in a £3m home in St John’s Wooden, London.
Fujitsu advised MailOnline in an announcement: ‘The present Publish Workplace Horizon IT statutory Inquiry is inspecting advanced occasions stretching again over 20 years to know who knew what, when, and what they did with that data.
‘The Inquiry has bolstered the devastating affect on postmasters’ lives and that of their households, and Fujitsu has apologised for its function of their struggling.
‘Fujitsu is totally dedicated to supporting the Inquiry in an effort to perceive what occurred and to study from it. Out of respect for the Inquiry course of, it will be inappropriate for Fujitsu to remark additional presently.’
Probably the most high-profile of the previous Fujitsu bosses is Michael Keegan, 61, who was chairman and CEO between 2015 and 2018.
Married to Training Secretary and Tory MP Gillian Keegan, the couple stay in a big £2m indifferent home in West Sussex, not removed from Ms Keegan’s Chichester constituency.
A 2014 press launch asserting Mr Keegan’s appointment hailed his 30 years of expertise within the IT sector, telling readers that previous to becoming a member of the Japanese tech big he’d held ‘senior roles on the Royal Mail Group/Publish Workplace Restricted’.
Mr Keegan has sought to refute any suggestion that he would possibly bear any accountability for the sub-postmaster scandal.
He is publicly burdened that, throughout his time as CEO, he solely made one choice associated to Horizon, and that was to cancel a young to offer a brand new model of the system to the Publish Workplace.
Moreover, Keegan has insisted he solely ever had one dialog with former Publish Workplace chief Paula Vennells, at which the affair was not mentioned.
Regardless of the Horizon scandal, in 2018, Mr Keegan was made a ‘Crown consultant’ of the Cupboard Workplace, working primarily with the Ministry of Defence.
He additionally sits on the advisory board of the Prince’s Belief and is a non-executive director of an IT agency known as Centerprise, which in Could gained a £1million contract linked (controversially, given his spouse’s job) to the colleges rebuilding programme.
Two of the previous Fujitsu bosses advised MailOnline that they have been shocked on the therapy of the postmasters and welcomed the general public enquiry.
Duncan Tait mentioned: ‘I’m appalled by the cruel therapy of the sub postmasters and totally assist the general public inquiry. It could be inappropriate for me to remark forward of this.’
And Roger Gilbert advised MailOnline: ‘Such as you and plenty of others, I’m shocked by the Publish Workplace’s actions in prosecuting so many harmless folks.
‘It’s proper that there’s a public inquiry to research what occurred and I’m wanting ahead to their report which I’m assured will present far more perception than my very restricted visibility of Horizon operations may present.’
Michael Keegan has since identified that he served as Fujitsu’s UK CEO from Could 2014 to June 2015 and that his duties for the Publish Workplace account ended when he grew to become the Head of Fujitsu’s Europe, Center East, India and Africa (EMEIA) Know-how Product Enterprise in June 2015.
He famous that the sub-postmasters didn’t begin their litigation in opposition to the Publish Workplace till 2016.
