Inquiry of British Post Office scandal calls for 'restorative justice' program
More than 900 British post office branch operators and other staff were prosecuted on theft and other charges between 1999 and 2015 after the software wrongly indicated shortfalls of cash.
A British court recognized the defect in the software, Horizon, in 2019. Last year, the country enacted a law to exonerate and compensate all victims of the scandal. So far, about 1.49 billion dollars has been paid to claimants.
On Tuesday, the independent inquiry released its first report.
The report says all people who have been wrongly convicted and those who have been held responsible are victims of "wholly unacceptable" behavior perpetrated by the Post Office and Fujitsu.
It says that there are currently about 10,000 eligible claimants in the schemes providing financial compensation.
The report calls on the British government to "devise a process for providing financial redress to close family members of those most adversely affected by Horizon."
It also urges Fujitsu, the government and the Post Office to publish a report on a program for restorative justice by the end of October.
Fujitsu and the British government have already agreed to start talks on compensation for victims.
Following the report's release, Fujitsu expressed its remorse and offered an apology. It said it hopes the issue will be quickly settled with fair redress for victims.
The company pledged full cooperation with investigations, and said it will discuss its contributions to compensation with the British government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
15 hours ago
- Japan Times
Former IMF economist advises Japan to strengthen non-U.S. ties
Former International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld has advised Japan to strengthen its cooperation with Asian and European countries, given disruptions to the global economic and financial order caused by U.S. policies. In a recent interview with Jiji Press, Obstfeld expressed concern that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken policy measures, including high tariffs and tax laws, that expand the federal debt and unpredictability, thereby undermining confidence in the dollar. He also said such actions are driving trade partners to deepen integration with countries other than the United States. "It will ultimately look attractive to countries to divert their trade links toward deeper integration with other trade partners, just in the interest of protecting themselves from mercurial U.S. policies," Obstfeld explained. Looking forward, Obstfeld stated, "The world is not going to return for a long time, if ever, to what it was before 2017," when the first Trump administration was inaugurated. Given this, Obstfeld urged Japan to strengthen its economic partnerships, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and regional frameworks such as ASEAN Plus Three, whose members are the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Japan, China and South Korea. Regarding the future of the international monetary system, Obstfeld predicted a "multipolar" era in which the dominance of the U.S. dollar as the key currency would slightly decline, while the presence of the euro and the Chinese yuan would grow. Citing U.S. policies that could undermine confidence in the dollar, he assessed that the yuan, in particular, has significant potential for the future. Obstfeld is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He has also served as an international adviser to the Bank of Japan's Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies.
Japan Times
20 hours ago
- Japan Times
Crystal Palace loses appeal against Europa League demotion
Crystal Palace's appeal against UEFA's decision to drop it from the Europa League to the third-tier Conference League was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday. UEFA demoted Palace while allowing Olympique Lyonnais to play in the Europa League as, at the time of assessment on March 1, the Eagle Football Group was majority owner of Lyon while its chairman John Textor owned a controlling stake in Palace. Nottingham Forest, which finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will replace Palace in the Europa League. "After considering the evidence, the panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA's assessment date," the CAS said in a statement. "The panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL." Palace did not respond to a request for comment. Club chairman Steve Parish told reporters on Sunday that if Palace lost the appeal, it would "have to look if there's any steps after that." The club, who qualified for the Europa League as FA Cup winners, appealed against UEFA's decision last month. The appeal came days before New York Jets co-owner Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson completed the purchase of Eagle Football Holdings' stake in Palace. Textor has also resigned from Lyon's board of directors with Michele Kang appointed chairwoman and president. As both Lyon and Palace had qualified for the Europa League, the French club was allowed to keep its place because it had finished higher in its respective league. Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1 while Palace were 12th in the Premier League. "Olympique Lyonnais welcomes today's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirming its participation in the Europa League," Lyon said in a statement. Palace, which won the Community Shield on Sunday beating Liverpool in a penalty shootout, is set to play in the Conference League's qualifying playoff round later this month.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Little offered to Vietnam farmers displaced for $1.5 billion Trump golf club
Vietnamese farmer Nguyen Thi Huong has slept poorly since authorities told her to vacate her farm for a Trump family-backed golf resort, offering just $3,200 and rice provisions in return. The golf resort, for which construction is scheduled to begin next month, is offering thousands of villagers such compensation packages to leave the land that has provided their livelihood for years or decades, according to six people with direct knowledge and documents. The project is the first partnership for the family business of U.S. President Donald Trump in Vietnam, which fast-tracked approvals as it negotiated a crucial trade deal with Washington. Developers are now cutting compensation forecasts from an initial estimate exceeding $500 million, said one person familiar with the plans who declined to elaborate on reasons for the reduction. The 990-hectare site designated for the golf course currently supports fruit farms growing bananas, longan, and other crops. While some see opportunity, many farmers are elderly and fear they will struggle to find alternative livelihoods in Vietnam's vibrant economy with its largely young demographic. "The whole village is worried about this project because it will take our land and leave us jobless," said 50-year-old Huong, who was told to leave her 200-square-meter plot in Hung Yen province near capital Hanoi for less than the average pay for one year in Vietnam. Vietnamese real estate company Kinhbac City and its partners will develop the luxury golf club after paying the Trump Organization $5 million for brand licensing rights, according to regulatory filings and a source familiar with the deal. Trump's family business will run the club once completed but is not involved in the investment and in compensation to farmers. Trump has said his assets in the businesses are held in a trust managed by his children, but disclosures in June showed income from those sources ultimately accrues to the president. Vietnam's agriculture ministry, Hung Yen authorities, the Trump Organization and Kinhbac City did not reply to questions on compensation rates. Authorities will determine final compensation rates based on land size and location, with formal approval expected next month. Five farmers facing dispossessions said authorities flagged reimbursements worth between $12 and $30 per square meter of farmland. They also offered additional payments for uprooted plants and provisions of rice for some months, roughly in line with one document. The person familiar with the compensation plan said the range was accurate, declining to be named because the information was not public. People attend a groundbreaking ceremony of the Trump Organization and a partner for a luxury residential development with three 18-hole golf courses in Hung Yen, a northern province of Vietnam, on May 21. | REUTERS A local official declined to talk about the compensation but said rates for farmland in the area have usually not exceeded $14 per square meter. They are often higher in other provinces. In Communist-run Vietnam, farmland is managed by the state. Farmers are assigned small plots for long-term use but have little say when authorities decide to take the land back. Protests are common but usually fruitless. Compensation is paid by the state, but developers foot the bill. Four of the farmers contacted were not happy with the proposed rates because their small plots would produce low payments. Thousands of villagers will be affected, according to a second document from local authorities, which stated final payment decisions were expected next month. Huong leases a larger plot from other villagers, but can claim land compensation only for the small one assigned to her and for the plants she grows. "What can someone like me do after that?" Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said farmers would be reimbursed fairly when he spoke in May at the groundbreaking ceremony for the golf project to an audience that included Trump's son Eric, a senior vice president of the Trump Organization. "We have no right to negotiate. That's a shame," said Do Dinh Huong, another farmer who was told his plot would be compensated at roughly $12 per square meter. He said he would have accepted what he believed was a low rate if the land were to be used to build roads or other public infrastructure. "But this is a business project. I don't know how that would contribute to people's life." Authorities have also offered rice as compensation, with provisions varying from two to twelve months, according to one of the documents seen. Nguyen Thi Chuc, a 54-year-old farmer who grows bananas in what will become the Trump golf club, was told by authorities she might receive roughly $30 per square meter for her 200-square-meter plot. "I'm getting old and can't do anything else other than working on the farm," she said. Conversely, lawyers and investors in the province said the golf club would create better jobs and enrich villagers. Le Van Tu, a 65-year-old local who will be compensated for his small plot and owns an eatery in a village that the golf club will abut, said he will upgrade his diner into a restaurant to cater to wealthier clients. Land prices in the village have risen fivefold since the project was announced in October, he said. He was also happy a nearby pig farm will be gone: "It won't be stinky anymore."
