State Services Commission knew of fake Ph.D

News is breaking that the State Services Commission was aware of irregularities with Mary Anne Thompson's qualifications when she was appointed to the Immigration Service role in 2004.

The then State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, made a judgement call. I am presuming under the "no surprises" doctrine that SSC seems to hold to that the relevant Minister would have been advised.

Comments

[dad4justice]

This Labour government and its bureaucratic inertia have shown us all that there is no honour among deceptive thieves.Do these slime ball Ministers know the meaning of the words accountability and responsibility's?

This Helen Klark regime is a cess pool of corruption !!

[mickmac]

I have to agree that if the leader is seen to get away with it so will the minions.

What is sad here is two ministers are so lacking in integrity that they didn't blow the whistle or made her walk the plank quietly.

No they choose to sit on their thumbs and keep quiet knowing a liar and a cheat was in charge of that department and probably a bully to boot.

Which just goes to show they don't qualify to be in parliament let alone a cabinet post.

Highest court in the land.
Bollocks.

[mickmac]

I see at Kiwiblog that there is a note on issue of whether the State Services Commissioner (SSC) put an entry into Thompson's file about the fake PHD brought to his attention.

If he did and Prebble ignored it then Prebble is possibly down for prosecution.
especially if there is no note from him as to why he did nothing.
if he didn't then how can we trust the SSC?

This is all notwithstanding the $500k untendered contract Too!!

and Helen is satisfied that all is in hand?
In and election year?
sounds like shes in exit mode already.

[peter]

"News is breaking that the State Services Commission was aware of irregularities with Mary Anne Thompson's qualifications when she was appointed to the Immigration Service role in 2004."

Governments come and Governments go. The bureaucracy goes on forever.

Personally I doubt that the authenticity or otherwise of her Ph D was not really considered once she was in the system doing a job. It is usually that way in employment - you use qualification to get a job, then it is over to you to prove you have the necessary knowledge. Only if there is a big gap would this be questioned.

Just out of interest - what would the genuine Ph D have added to necessary qualifications which were probably at Bachelor or Masters level.