The head of France Television, Patrick de Carolis, is to appear in court in Paris for the alleged defamation of the veteran French Polynesian politician, Gaston Flosse, in a documentary about the 1997 disappearance of a Tahitian journalist, Jean-Pascal Couraud.
Mr Flosse's political party has issued a statement, saying the French
public prosecutor has found grounds to summon Mr de Carolis as well as a programme presenter, Elise Lucet, and a reporter, Magali Serre.
The documentary was shown in June last year and afterwards Mr Flosse claimed the programme violated the basic principles of democracy.
An investigation into Mr Couraud's disappearance was launched nearly five years ago after a former spy of Mr Flosse's now disbanded GIP militia claimed Mr Couraud had been kidnapped and was drowned off Tahiti.
Last week, the French national defence commission refused to declassify three French secret service documents requested by the judge leading the investigation.
Mr Couraud is reported to have had information about financial transfers from French Polynesia to a Japanese account held by the then President Jacques Chirac - an issue linked to France's so-called Clearstream affair.
