Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Mapp seeks report after defence official resigns

Updated at 6:23 pm on 9 September 2010

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp is waiting on a full report into allegations that a top-level defence official lied about his qualifications and experience in his curriculum vitae.

The Defence Force's chief scientist and head of the Defence Technology Agency, Stephen Wilce, resigned on Thursday after allegations about him surfaced on TV3's 60 Minutes programme on Wednesday night.

The programme alleged Mr Wilce made a string of false claims in his curriculum vitae.

Chief of the Defence Force Lieutenant-General Jerry Mateparae confirmed on Thursday that the Defence Force was given anonymous information in July and that Mr Wilce was stood down last week after an initial investigation.

He has accepted Mr Wilce's resignation.

Dr Mapp says he has sought a comprehensive report on the matter in light of the fact Mr Wilce cleared employment and security checks by the Security Intelligence Service, and that he had top-secret clearance.

Lieutenant-General Jerry Mateparae says Mr Wilce, the Defence Force's chief scientist for five years, had been a good employee.

He says he does not want to discuss Mr Wilce's employment because the matter is still under investigation.

The Green Party says the disclosure shows background checks on Defence Force staff are woefully inadequate.

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