No sign of ex-Immigration boss' PHD

A senior administrator for the London School of Economics (LSE) says she cannot find any evidence of the doctorate degree allegedly gained by a top New Zealand bureaucrat .

Former Immigration boss Mary Anne Thompson faces three fraud charges after applying for New Zealand public service jobs in 1989, 1998 and 2004, claiming she held a PhD from the prestigious institution.

A key page in her file - which said she applied for a masters degree, rather than a doctorate - had the words "Treat as abandoned 21 Sept 99" written across it, Wellington District Court evidence showed.

She had first told the school of her intention to submit her PhD thesis for examination by the school in July 1987.

Today, Wellington District Court heard via video-link the evidence of Susan Johnson, who had worked in administration at the University of London, which handled LSE's qualifications, for 30 years.

"All I can say is the university received an application from the candidate (Thompson) for the MPhil (Master of Philosophy) degree," she told a depositions hearing to decide whether Thompson should stand trial.

Though students were technically enrolled in the Masters of Philosophy programme, they could later be upgraded to doctorate studies. It was not unheard of for them to say they were studying toward a PhD, Ms Johnson said.

A brief of evidence given by Ms Johnson, obtained from the court by NZPA, said Thompson had never been listed as having passed anything during the relevant period.

Nor was her thesis in any university catalogues.

"No records of an oral examination taking place for Mary Anne Thompson can be found and I can only conclude that the examination did not proceed to completion," Ms Johnson told the court.

The hearing is proceeding.

- NZPA