Thompson scandal deepens 

The scandal surrounding former immigration boss Mary Anne Thompson continues to deepen with confirmation she may have doctored her resume.

The prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science says it has no record of granting a doctorate to Thompson.

The former head of the Immigration department had claimed on her CV that she had received a PhD from the university.

Police are now investigating after the public service watchdog, the State Services Commission, passed on serious concerns about the qualifications Thompson said she had when applying for senior state sector roles.

The Immigration boss resigned on Tuesday following a ONE News investigation following revelations that she had used her position to help get members of her extended family into New Zealand from Kiribati.

Thompson has been in the public service for over two decades and has now gone to ground as police examine the authenticity of her qualifications.

National says it is just another example of a department in crisis, but the government says it is not up to ministers to check CVs.

But privately, senior ministers are questioning why her deception was not picked up by Security Intelligence Services who vet public servants.

The SIS was not prepared to talk to ONE News, saying they would need a formal letter requesting the information before they would consider an interview.

But Thompson's former boss at the Labour Department says she never actually claimed to have a doctorate when she applied for her position at the Immigration department. Christopher Blake says Thompson's qualifications are now being reviewed by the State Services Commission and the police and he does not want to comment further out of fear of jeopardising those investigations.

If any wrongdoing is proven about Thompson the implications are serious but a minister she once worked for has gone into bat for the disgraced immigration boss.

"I thought she was an enormously capable person," Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.

Questioned about her resignation, the New Zealand First leader said: "Nothing surprises me too much in this game any longer, but I'd rather hear from her what the truth is."

It appears Thompson doctored her CV when applying for high-profile public service positions, including in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

"I am surprised because it is so bad for a senior government official to have apparently claimed to have a qualification they don't have," National's immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith says.

The government does not think it's a widespread problem in the public service.

"I certainly don't think most people lie about their qualifications," State Services Minister David Parker says.

But he says in Thompson's case further investigation is warranted.

"Obviously that's something we will have to look at that through this process."