Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said on Monday it had appointed Sara Lawson as its new general counsel, part of an organisational overhaul by the agency’s new director Lisa Osofsky.


Lawson replaces Alun Milford, who left the country’s top white collar crime prosecutor for law firm Kingsley Napley last year after six years at the SFO.


Lawson’s appointment comes as the SFO faces criticism over its handling of some high profile cases.


In December, the retrial of former executives from retailer Tesco collapsed. In October, a High Court judge denied an SFO application to charge Barclays over its 2008 capital raising, although a separate case against four former executives in relation to the same matter is ongoing.


Osofsky who took the helm last August pledging to review the agency’s caseload, has closed a number of investigations since taking up her post.


The SFO on Friday abandoned two of its largest and longest investigations, into alleged bribery at aero engine maker Rolls-Royce and drugs maker GlaxoSmithKline.


Lawson, who takes over in May, is a barrister with extensive experience prosecuting government, criminal and regulatory cases, the SFO said here, adding she would provide oversight, advice and quality control on cases and help prepare for trials.


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