An ongoing legal battle between the UK Government and Japanese electrical giant Fujitsu could go on for another two years, according to Fujitsu head of Europe, Duncan Tait.
The dispute over a £700 million IT contract cancelled by the UK’s Department of Health in 2008 was thought to have reached a conclusion in 2014, when Fujitsu told the British media that it had won the fight, along with millions of pounds in compensation.
However, Mr Tait, Fujitsu’s head of Europe, India, Africa and the Middle East, told journalists this week that Fujitsu were “still in the arbitration process” and that he did not expect the battle to end for “the next two years or so.”
The UK Public Accounts Committee conducted an investigation which revealed that the Department of Health had spent £31.5 million pounds in the dispute against Fujitsu thus far.
Tait declined to provide further details on the negotiations, such as how much Fujitsu expected to receive from the Government, but accounts for its main UK subsidiary have suggested that a payout could be “significant”.
British MPs have cited recent media reports, which claimed that the company could be seeking up to £700 million in damages.