The former director of the Serious Fraud Office showed "a disregard for the proper use of taxpayers' money" in agreeing severance packages worth around £1m for three senior staff, a spending watchdog has found.
In a critical report, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, said that "a catalogue of errors and poor judgment" by Richard Alderman had undermined the SFO's reputation and damaged the morale of its staff.
The committee published a letter which Mr Alderman sent to them just days after a gruelling evidence session before the cross-party group.
In it, he acknowledged the group was "justified" in criticising his actions and offered "my deep and unreserved apology".
Auditor General Amyas Morse last year refused to sign off the SFO's accounts because of an "irregular redundancy payment" to former chief executive officer Phillippa Williamson.
Dominic Grieve reported last year that due process was not followed She took voluntary redundancy in April 2012, just four days before Mr Alderman's own departure.
In December last year, Attorney General Dominic Grieve reported that Mr Alderman had agreed further severance payments to senior staff without following due process.
An investigation ordered by Mr Alderman's successor David Green found that the decisions to make Ms Williamson, chief operating officer Christian Bailes and technology head Ian McCall redundant were taken by the former director alone.
He did so without informing ministers and failed to get Cabinet Office approval for the Ms Williamson's severance agreement.
Total severance packages were £464,905 for Ms Williamson, £437,167 for Mr Bailes and £49,885 for Mr McCall.
A payment of more than £400,000 was made to enhance Ms Williamson's pension, despite not having the necessary approval.
Mr Alderman decided on a £15,000 special payment each to Ms Williamson and Mr Bailes to avoid grievance actions, despite legal advice that there was no suggestion of any such claims.
The committee also condemned the "astounding" working conditions which Mr Alderman agreed for Ms Williamson during her four-year stint at the helm of the SFO, under which her home in the Lake District was designated her place of work.
She worked at home two days a week, and travelled to London to work at the SFO three days, with the taxpayer footing the bill for travel and hotel costs of just under £100,000.
The report found that Mr Alderman's actions and decisions took place amid "a culture where external advice and scrutiny was to be avoided wherever possible and with an apparent need for secrecy".
"This catalogue of errors amounts to a case study in how not to run a public body," said the committee.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Fraud Office Ex-Boss Criticised Over Pay-Offs
Dengan url
http://kerjasendirianda.blogspot.com/2013/07/fraud-office-ex-boss-criticised-over.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Fraud Office Ex-Boss Criticised Over Pay-Offs
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Fraud Office Ex-Boss Criticised Over Pay-Offs
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar