23 Jan 2008

Flosse summoned in French Polynesia probes

4:24 pm on 23 January 2008

It has been revealed in French Polynesia that the opposition's leading politician, Gaston Flosse, has been summoned by investigative judges as part of probes into the alleged misuse of funds.

A Tahiti newspaper report, which comes just days before a general election, says the summons were issued in late December for Mr Flosse to appear on three different days in March.

The leader of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira is to be probed over the running of the presidency between 1991 and 2004.

A French audit in 2006 found that top politicians led by Mr Flosse used three million US dollars in public funds inappropriately when they were in government.

In another case, Mr Flosse is to appear with his deputy, Edouard Fritch, and his former lands minister, Gaston Tong Sang, over the sale of Anuanuraro atoll in 2003.

The three are accused of fraud over the purchase of the atoll from the territory's leading pearl producer, Robert Wan, by paying him five times the atoll's value.

Mr Flosse rejected the accusation, saying the atoll was bought to prevent its sale to Japanese investors.

In 2005, Mr Fritch and Mr Tong Sang, who is now a political rival, were briefly banned from communicating with each other as part of the judicial inquiry.

The restrictions were eased as they would have prevented the two from attending sittings of the territorial assembly.