The former director of the Serious Fraud Office, Richard Alderman, has come under fire from the House of Commons public accounts committee.
Alderman was blasted in the report for a “catalogue of errors and poor judgement” and showing “a disregard for the proper use of taxpayers’ money”.
The report highlights “irregular redundancy payments” made to former chief executive Phillippa Williamson, who took voluntary redundancy in April 2012, just four days before Alderman’s own departure.
An investigation ordered by Alderman’s successor, David Green, found that the decisions to make Williamson, chief operating officer Christian Bailes, and technology head Ian McCall redundant were taken by the former director alone without informing ministers and that he failed to get Cabinet Office approval for the Williamson’s severance agreement.
Total severance packages were £464,905 for Williamson, £437,167 for Bailes and £49,885 for McCall.
The committee also condemned the “astounding” working conditions which Alderman agreed for Williamson during her four-year stint at the helm: she was allowed to work from home in the Lake District two days a week, and travel to London to work at the SFO three days, with the taxpayer footing the bill for travel and hotel costs totalling £98,946.
“This catalogue of errors amounts to a case study in how not to run a public body,” said the committee.
Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry asked the Metropolitan Police chief to examine whether the behaviour of Richard Alderman constituted misconduct in public office.
Alderman was in charge of the SFO at the time of the arrest of the Tchenguiz brothers during MIPIM week in March 2011.
The SFO is now facing damages claims of more than £300m from the brothers with the most damning accusation being that the SFO illegally abused its office, recklessly and in bad faith and without reasonable and probable cause.
A trial will take place in 2014.
nick.whitten@estatesgazette.com
