Goff reignites row with SIS boss

Israeli tourists Guy Jordan and Liron Sade, who escaped from the Christchurch earthquake. Photo / Supplied

Labour leader Phil Goff is again at odds with security service director Warren Tucker over whether he was shown a document about Israeli spy allegations.

The Government last month revealed the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) had conducted an inquiry into a group of Israelis who fled Christchurch after the February earthquake, but found no evidence they were involved in spying.

Prime Minister John Key at the time said SIS director Warren Tucker had briefed Mr Goff on the inquiry and had shown Mr Goff the same report he was shown.

Mr Goff disputed that and summoned Mr Tucker to explain. He said Mr Tucker told him he had ''flicked" the issue past Mr Goff among other issues, but it was not dwelt on.

A note from Mr Tucker, released to right-wing blogger Cameron Slater under the Official Information Act, reportedly contained an annotation that stated Mr Goff had been shown the document.

Slater said on his Whale Oil blog that he planned to release details at 6pm today.

Mr Goff has pre-empted that by issuing a press release denying he had been shown the document.

"I never read that document. Warren Tucker is wrong," he said.

"He may have brought the document to the meeting but he never showed it to me. Mr Tucker acknowledges that I was never briefed on or shown two other documents the SIS compiled on the issue of the Israeli backpackers."

Mr Goff said he was since shown the document and he knew he had never seen it before.

He called on Mr Key and the SIS to release all the documentation about the investigation and to give a full and frank account of what happened.

- NZPA