Fujitsu has announced bumper profits from its UK arm as directors receive millions in salary and bonus payments.
The IT company, which is at the centre of a scandal over its flawed Horizon IT system, recorded strong profits as a result of ongoing work for government departments such as the Home Office and Ministry of Defence, its latest Companies House filing shows.
It also received payments from the Post Office itself, which continues to use a newer version of the Horizon system.
UK-based Fujitsu Services Ltd, which houses the Japanese firm’s UK and Irish businesses, posted pre-tax profits of £22 million in 2022, on revenues of £1.3 billion, the accounts show.
Its three directors shared pay of £2.3 million, of which £1.3 million was paid to one unnamed executive.
Separate accounts for Fujitsu’s European holding company, which also includes operations in Scandinavia and the Middle East, indicate that its directors were also paid bonuses.
The role of Fujitsu in the Post Office scandal has come under scrutiny from MPs, with some raising the possibility that the Japanese company should pay compensation to victims of one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British history.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake told MPs on Monday that ways to overturn the convictions were being investigated, including possible legislation.
He also suggested that Fujitsu, the firm behind the faulty accounting software that made it look like money was missing from shops, and anyone else shown to be responsible should be “held accountable including making any payments” into the compensation fund.
Tory former home secretary Dame Priti Patel raised Fujitsu still being awarded millions of pounds of Government contracts.
In a joint letter to the Sunday Times, Lord Falconer and Lord Abuthnot said the ongoing inquiry into the scandal “needs to examine in detail the role of Fujitsu, which provided and managed the faulty software. Was Fujitsu completely unaware of the devastating effect of its actions? Should it not contribute to the compensation claims of hundreds of sub-postmasters?”
A spokesperson said: “The current Post Office Horizon IT statutory inquiry is examining complex events stretching back over 20 years to understand who knew what, when, and what they did with that knowledge.
“The inquiry has reinforced the devastating impact on postmasters’ lives and that of their families, and Fujitsu has apologised for its role in their suffering.
“Fujitsu is fully committed to supporting the inquiry in order to understand what happened and to learn from it. Out of respect for the inquiry process, it would be inappropriate for Fujitsu to comment further at this time.”
Related: Why the Horizon scandal is much bigger than a faulty computer system
