An executive of Japanese tech firm Fujitsu has apologized over a scandal at the British Post Office in which hundreds of people were wrongly prosecuted because of the company's faulty computer accounting system.

Paul Patterson, who heads Fujitsu's Europe operations, testified at the British parliament on Tuesday.

Patterson admitted that the company's Horizon accounting system was flawed and said, "Fujitsu would like to apologize for our part in this appalling miscarriage of justice."

He also said there is a "moral obligation" for the company to compensate the victims.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 post office workers including branch managers were prosecuted for embezzlement and other charges after gaps were found between cash at the counter and records on Horizon.

In 2019, a court ruled for a group of postal managers who filed a lawsuit claiming the system was flawed.

Public criticism of Fujitsu has been reignited since a TV drama about the scandal was broadcast this month.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the case as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in the country's history.

The government indicates that it will ask Fujitsu to shoulder part of the compensation money if an official inquiry finds that it should be held accountable.