SIS director's Zaoui involvement questioned

There are fresh concerns surrounding the validity of the SIS director's involvement in the Ahmed Zaoui case.

The Algerian refugee has spent more than a year in detention after being declared a potential risk to national security.

SIS director Richard Wood signed off on the risk certificate.

But Auckland University's Paul Buchanan says Mr Wood is the former ambassador to France, accredited to Algeria from 1995 to 1999.

He says that suggests there may be a conflict of interest from contacts made during his diplomatic career.

Mr Buchanan believes the director should have considered passing the job to someone who could make an objective determination.

He says Richard Wood swore that the intelligence agency has no connections with the Algerian Government.

Mr Buchanan says he finds it difficult to believe Mr Wood would not trade on relationships he made during that time, to investigate the allegations against Mr Zaoui.

He questions whether Mr Wood was objective enough to sign off Ahmed Zaoui's security risk certificate.

The news follows accusations of bias levelled at the SIS Inspector-General Laurie Greig after comments he made to the media about the Zaoui case.

- Newstalk ZB