BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhuanet)-- David Edmondson, chief executive of RadioShack, the third-largest US electronics retailer, resigned on Monday after admitting he had lied about his educational record when he joined the company 12 years ago.

Edmondson, 46, joined RadioShack in 1994 and became chief executive officer last May.

     The electronics chain, based in Fort Worth, Texas, declared on Monday that the board had accepted Edmondson's resignation. He will be replaced temporarily by Claire Babrowski, currently executive vice-president and chief operating officer.

    The story became a major issue last week after the RadioShack board announced that it was hiring outside lawyers to investigate claims of a newspaper that its CEO had reported two college degrees for which his school had no records.

    Edmondson had claimed degrees in theology and psychology from Pacific Coast Baptist College in California, which moved in 1998 to Oklahoma, where it was renamed Heartland Baptist Bible College.

    The school's registrar told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that records showed Edmondson completed only two semesters, and that the school never offered degrees in psychology.

    Edmondson, 46, joined RadioShack in 1994 and became chief executive officer last May. He said he took responsibility for any errors in his resume, and that he believed he earned one of the degrees but could not document it.

    "I apologize to the board and the employees for the confusion I have created by carrying erroneous information on my resume and mishandling my explanation of it," Edmondson said, "I will provide all information to the board in order to clarify these issues."

    His departure also comes amid growing pressure following the company's poor performance, seen in a 62% drop in fourth-quarter net income and plans to close between 400 and 700 stores and two distribution centres as part of a campaign to fix its financial performance. Enditem

    (Agencies)