MPs tell Serious Fraud Office to claw back executive payouts Phillippa Williamson, former chief executive, left with £464,905; Chris Bailes, former chief capability officer, received £473,167; and ex-technology head Ian McCall got £49,885. In Wednesday's report the MPs again criticised Mr Alderman for his generous provisions for Ms Williamson, chief executive of the SFO from 2008 to 2012. Ms Williamson was officially allowed to work from her home in the Lake District, which she did for two days a week. The taxpayer footed a bill of around £100,000 over four years for Ms Williamson's travel to London and hotel bills in the capital for the rest of the time. Mr Bacon said: "For a CEO of an important public body such as the Serious Fraud Office to be granted such arrangements is quite astounding." Mr Alderman also awarded Ms Williamson a £400,000 to enhance her pension without seeking approval from the Cabinet Office. He then signed-off "special severance payments" of £15,000 to the former chief executive and chief operating officer. Mr Alderman said this was done to "avoid grievance action" but lawyers suggested this was not necessary. The payments were brought to light in October 2012 when the Comptroller and Auditor General say them and qualified the SFO accounts for 2011-12. In December 2012, the Attorney General reported that Mr Alderman had agreed to other generous severance payments to staff without following proper procedure. A later report by Sir Alex Allan concluded the SFO lacked transparency in its payment of contactors. Mr Bacon said: "The reputation of the Serious Fraud Office has been undermined by a catalogue of errors and poor judgement and the morale of its staff has suffered as a result. "The former director Richard Alderman's decisions showed a disregard for the proper use of taxpayers" money and a woefully inadequate grasp of the importance of "Managing Public Money," HM Treasury's guidance document on the role of an Accounting Officer. By deciding the size of severance packages, and not seeking alternative placements for staff, he failed to follow due process. The PAC noted that Mr Alderman wrote to MPs to acknowledge his shortcomings. He apologised for the way he had handled the exits of the senior staff.