B777 MECH PERFORMED ILLEGAL LAST MIN MAINT ON PAX OXYGEN COMPARTMENT DOOR.

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AT DEP GATE IN AMSTERDAM; FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED CAPT THAT THE OVERHEAD OXYGEN COMPARTMENT DOOR FOR SEAT XX WAS HANGING OPEN WITH MASKS EXTENDED. MAINT WAS CALLED. HE TOLD US THE LATCH WAS BROKEN AND THAT HE COULD TAPE THE DOOR SO THAT IT WOULD DEPLOY AS NEEDED. ABOUT HALFWAY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED THE CAPT THAT THE OXYGEN PANEL WAS TAPED SO THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPLOY AUTOMATICALLY IN THE EVENT OF A RAPID CABIN DEPRESSURIZATION. OUR OWN INSPECTION CONFIRMED THIS. THE RESULT WAS 2 PAX WOULD BE UNABLE TO USE ANY OXYGEN IN AN EMER DECOMPRESSION. EVEN IN A BUSY AND RUSHED SIT AS OURS AT DEP TIME; TIME MUST STILL BE TAKEN TO VERIFY THAT ITEMS AS IMPORTANT AS THIS ONE WAS FIXED IN THE RIGHT WAY. IN ADDITION BETTER CREW COM WAS NEEDED. THE FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED THE CAPT OF THE BAD FIX SIT OF THE OXYGEN DOOR BEFORE TKOF. THE CAPT NEVER INFORMED HIS 2 FO'S OF THE SIT (WE LATER LEARNED OF THE PROB HALFWAY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC). SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 408998: ABOUT 5 MINS PRIOR TO PUSHBACK IN AMS; THE CHIEF PURSER CAME TO THE FLT DECK AND INFORMED US THAT AN OXYGEN PANEL IN COACH HAD OPENED AND NEEDED REPAIR. THE MECH INSPECTED IT AND TOLD US AN INTERIM REPAIR WOULD BE MADE. AS I WAS BUSY ON COM #1; THE CAPT WAS TALKING ON THE CABIN INTERPHONE WITH A FLT ATTENDANT. WE DEPARTED. ABOUT 1 HR 30 MINS INTO THE FLT THE CHIEF PURSER INFORMED US THAT THE 'INTERIM REPAIR' WAS; IN FACT COMPLETELY TAPED CLOSED. IT WOULD NOT OPEN IN THE EVENT OF AN EMER. APPROX 5 HRS INTO THE FLT; AFTER MY CREW REST PERIOD; I LEARNED FROM THE OTHER FO THE CONTENTS OF THE PRE-DEP INTERPHONE CALL TO THE CAPT. THE CAPT HAD RECEIVED THE CALL FROM THE BACK INFORMING HIM OF THE OXYGEN PANEL TAPE SIT. WE WERE BUSY IN THE PUSHBACK PROC AND WERE NOT TOLD OF THE CONVERSATION AT THE TIME.