Thu, 29 Jan 2026

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 Boss of Post Office IT scandal firm Fujitsu to step down

Paul Patterson will become the chair of Fujitsu's UK business responsible for its inquiry response.

* Paul Patterson, Fujitsu's Europe chief executive, will step down in March and become non-executive chairman of the company's UK business.
* He will continue to manage the company's response to the Horizon scandal inquiry.
* Patterson has been criticized for his handling of the scandal, including refusing to pay compensation to victims until the inquiry's final report is published.
* The Horizon IT system falsely created shortfalls in Post Office branches, leading to the prosecution of over 900 people, some of whom went to prison and died while waiting for their names to be cleared.
* Fujitsu has agreed to contribute to compensation but has not agreed on a sum or made any payments yet.
* Former sub-Postmaster Tim Brentnall criticized Patterson's handling of the scandal, saying he "tries to say all the right things but does nothing".
* Patterson joined Fujitsu in 2010 and became Europe chief executive in 2019. He apologized for his company's role in the miscarriage of justice during a 2024 inquiry hearing.
* He will be replaced by Mikihito Saito, the company's current head of international business.
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